Season 3 Review

Ahh, Season 3, a glorious time. Shows like this one generally end after 75 episodes, so it’s make or break time! Season 2 ended on a sour note with Canterlot Wedding just being an incredibly poorly thought out episode overall, but hopefully, the writers at Hasbro can keep the spirit of My Little Pony: Friendship is magic alive despite Lauren Faust having officially left the show.

Crystal Empire: Aaaaaand we’re off to a bad start. I really can’t say I care for this episode. At all. First of all the plot: Celestia is sending Twilight to the Crystal Empire to free the Crystal Ponies from the tyrannical King Sombra? I’ve criticized Canterlot Wedding for what felt like an Idiot Plot, given the forced introduction of Twilight’s brother and foalsitter, and how oblivious everyone was to how obviously a bad guy Chrysalis was. THIS episode is even worse on that front. Sending Twilight to deal with Sombra was pointless, because unlike Nightmare Moon and Discord, Twilight and her fellow Element Bearers weren’t necessary. Nightmare Moon was the corrupted version of Celestia’s baby sister, who could only be cured and freed by the Elements of Harmony, which Celestia can’t use anymore as they’ve been passed on to Twilight and the others. With Discord it’s heavily implied that he kicked Celestia and Luna’s collective flanks, leaving the Elements of Harmony, only usable by the Mane Six, as the one power in Equestria that can defeat him. According to the flashback, Celestia and Luna curb-stomped Sombra WITHOUT the Elements, so why don’t they just fly down and do it again? Heck, Luna even OFFERED so Celestia felt like she was holding the idiot ball, considering Luna is more powerful AND more experienced than Twilight, making success more likely. Speaking of the Crystal Empire, I wouldn’t question its existence if not for the fact that Cadance is apparently the destined ruler, being an Alicorn and all. Okay, what? Cadance, who has visibly aged since TWILIGHT was a filly is over 1,000 years old? Or did she inherit the Crystal Empire, or what? What’s going on? This is on top of Cadance as an Alicorn being a major plot hole in the first place! Apparently, the Crystal Empire ONLY exists to give a kingdom to someone who DIDN’T NEED TO BE ROYALTY IN THE FIRST PLACE. To top it off, Celestia reveals the whole thing was a test. What. She placed thousands of innocent lives in Twilight’s hooves for the sake of a TEST? Plus, it was a test to see if Twilight would make a minor personal sacrifice for the sake of an entire city. What. In other words, Celestia was testing to see if Twilight would put others before herself. This goes against the PREVIOUS TWO SEASONS where Twilight has been putting others before herself since THE VERY FIRST EPISODE. Celestia even goes on to say she has no need of a student who puts herself first. You know what? TWILIGHT has no need of a mentor who emotionally manipulates her and tests her so often it destroys her self-confidence and causes her to constantly second guess herself instead of relying on her own judgement. Twilight also has no need of a mentor who endangers THOUSANDS OF INNOCENTS FOR THE SAKE OF A STUPID TEST. It seems the writers have missed the point of Celestia’s character and grossly flanderized her. Celestia pulls crap like this when it’s NECESSARY, not just because she darn well feels like it. Then we have Sombra. I really don’t care for Sombra at all, as he gets so much build up, but there’s absolutely no payoff. He’s heavily implied to be really powerful, really evil, and really intelligent. We don’t actually get to see any of this because he spends the entire episode sitting around snarling and growling and never DOES anything. The traps we see are rather clever, but it’s hard to connect that to Mister Snarl Grr. Sombra is just…bland. The previous Big Name Villains had personalities, including Chrysalis. Chrysalis may have been incompetent, but at least she was unique and had a personality. The fact that Sombra is a unicorn doesn’t sit well with me, either, since Twilight is the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, right? So couldn’t she just stomp him like Celestia and Luna did? Unless he’s MORE powerful, which they actually could have MENTIONED? All it would take is a throwaway line, mentioning Sombra is too powerful for Twilight head on, so she needs to use the Crystal Heart. I personally think Sombra could have worked as an Alicorn, unlike Cadance, since there being another Alicorn could actually have been a plot point. Mention that it’s possible to become an Alicorn, and that Sombra was more interested in the power than actually being worthy, and so in becoming an Alicorn he was corrupted. Even Megan McCarthy HERSELF admits Sombra doesn’t work as a character, and it’s a shame, because by actually thinking things through a bit, they really could have done something with him. Seriously, the person who wrote CANTERLOT WEDDING thinks Sombra is a bad character. That would be like Rumiko Takahashi expressing discontent with a story where the female characters excessively abuse the male characters. Speaking of bad characters, Shining A-Hole is back, and while he’s not actively being a bad brother like the previous episode, he does nothing to redeem himself after proving to be the worst brother in Equestria. Sure, he’s friendly here, but Twilight is here to pull his flank out of the fire, and if the previous episode is any indication, he’ll be friendly until the moment things go south, at which point he’ll ditch Twilight at the drop of a hat. Then he goes and makes a tactless joke at Twilight’s expense. Not a bad thing in and of itself, as he’s just trying to lighten the mood, but this is on the heels of him treating Twilight like crap in the previous episode, and THEN he gets a Death Glare from Cadance. You know, Cadance? The only character who DIDN’T treat Twilight like crap in the previous episode? I’ve been ragging on this episode quite a bit, so I’d like to mention what I actually liked. The Mane Six were reasonably well characterized (Twilight was polite, Rainbow not so much, and Pinkie was actually pretty funny) although Twilight’s friends telling her they believed in her all along AFTER the fact rings hollow considering the previous episode shows that they’ll ditch her the moment they even THINK she’s wrong. Which might not be a problem were these two episodes not written by the same person. Furthermore, it rubbed me the wrong way how quick Twilight was to give up. She finds herself blocked by some crystal spikes and immediately decides she can’t do it and gives the Crystal Heart to Spike? Twilight faced down a rogue demi-goddess, a giant Hydra, a giant bear, a Chaos God, a three-headed hellhound, and an army of shape shifting emotion eaters, and a few crystals is all it takes to stop her? She can’t teleport past, heck she can’t just JUMP over them? I would have preferred if Sombra had materialized at that point and Twilight held him off so Spike could deliver the Crystal Heart, allowing Spike his chance to shine while NOT making Twilight look like a loser. Sure, it would have been a losing battle, but it would proven Twilight’s bravery and dedication while allowing us to actually see Sombra as a threat. Also, apparently, Twilight giving the Crystal Heart to Spike was the “selfless” choice and passing the test. So putting Spike in danger was a “selfless” choice? So refusing the quit despite the odds would have been “selfish”? So being hesitant to endanger other than herself would have been “selfish”? This is another episode where the writers were just NOT thinking things through. AT ALL. About the only good thing I can really say about this one was the focus on Twilight and Spike and how devoted they are to each other. Spike’s worst fear being Twilight leaving him? Twilight cuddling him and swearing she’ll never leave him? THAT’S what we like to see, and honestly this is a very underplayed relationship. Twilight gets some flak from the fandom for “neglecting” Spike, so actually putting more focus on the relationship would do wonders for both their characters. While it’s not as bad as the Soul-Crushing awfulness of “Canterlot Wedding”, I must still report this as a Bad episode. This is the same person that wrote “Party of One”, “Lesson Zero”, and “Sweet and Elite”, so we KNOW Megan McCarthy can write good episodes, so let’s hope she gets her act together.

Too Many Pinkies: I’ve said before that Pinkie usually treads a line between endearing and annoying, with the former far more often being the case. That’s when she’s part of the supporting cast, when she’s the focus, she can be MUCH more hit or miss. This is a bad thing, because it can result in a character dividing the fanbase, with those who like them not really being able to placate those who don’t. A good, well-written show should appeal to a wide variety of people if possible. When you write something that appeals only to a certain demographic, the number of people who like it will be much smaller. I’m in two minds about Pinkie overall in this episode: While on one hand I get that she really loves her friends and wants to spend time with them, she also can’t seem to stomach them having a life without her, which makes her look a tad self-centered. On one hand, she really just wants to spend time with all of her friends and not neglect any of them, on the other, it seems like this is something Twilight would do. Why do I say that? Because many fans, myself included, feel that the Element of Magic refers to the MAGIC of Friendship, as opposed to arcane spellcasting, which makes more sense as one of the Elements of HARMONY. This seems like one of those times where Pinkie is receiving favoritism from the writers, as she’s stepping into Twilight’s territory, but being MUCH more overblown about it. If there’s anyone who’d be trying to pay attention to all their friends without neglecting anyone, it would be the Element of FRIENDSHIP, not the Element of Laughter, which is more about keeping everyone’s spirits up. Problem is, if Twilight did something like this, she wouldn’t be NEARLY this over the top about it, which is one of the main reasons Pinkie herself can be such a Base Breaker in the fandom. Some find her really funny, while others find her over the top personality to be off-putting, as you can be out of breath just listening to her talk. This is one of those episodes where they try TOO hard to make Pinkie endearing, instead of just letting it come naturally. Pinkie is much more likable when they don’t try to force it, and that’s why it works for Twilight: It’s never forced. All this doesn’t necessarily make the episode bad, but it’s poor form to give too much favoritism to any one character, as they have been known to do with Pinkie, and the over the top portrayal, rather than making everyone like her, which actually annoys some fans. That being said, once the clones get out of control, I really do like the contrast between them and the real Pinkie. The clones basically rampage across Ponyville, with no concern to the harm or damage they cause, whereas and Pinkie herself is horrified and feels terrible for her friends. One of the major problems with Pinkie as a character is how rarely she acknowledges the harm she tends to cause, but episodes like this show she DOES care. The clones show that they are merely clones, no real personality themselves, but with base personality traits of the real Pinkie, who shows a deeper personality by expressing concern and remorse. I may feel divided on her behavior earlier, but toward the end her portrayal considerably improved, and I can’t help but approve of how the towns ponies turned to Twilight, strongly hinting that she really has earned a lot of respect and trust during her time in Ponyville. Appropriate for the Element of FRIENDSHIP, right? I’ve heard complaints that Twilight was a prick this episode, but I don’t see it. She may have snapped at Pinkie for SLAMMING INTO HER, but afterwards, she was quite patient and friendly, namely during her second meeting with the Pink Party Pony. I was also impressed with the plan to find the real Pinkie, and it really showcases how much Pinkie cares for her friends, as she’ll force down her base nature just to stay with them. However, you know what I really hate about this fandom? The hypocrisy. I’ve seen SEVERAL complaints against Twilight for “brutally murdering” those clones, but I have yet to see any criticism leveled against Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy for APPROVING AND CONDONING THIS. I really hate when Twilight, and ONLY Twilight gets the blame for something the ENTIRE GROUP DID. Do you only blame the gunmen for a shooting, and ignore the fingerless people who ADVOCATED the shooting? Anyway, while things get better in the end, the beginning felt like they were trying too hard. Just let Pinkie be a lovable goofball who gets along with everyone, don’t try to force her into the “Everyone’s friend” role. It comes off as Mary-Sueish, as there is no subtlety or fallibility in it, compared to Twilight who comes off as a wonderful friend, but still believably fallible. Overall, a Meh episode.

One Bad Apple: *Cringes* Wow, this…this episode made me uncomfortable. The first time through I was wincing at the non-stop abuse the Crusaders went through. No, seriously, Babs was worse than Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon PUT TOGETHER. This whole thing was really upsetting to watch. I’m a firm proponent of taking into consideration character motivation for why they do things so long as it’s presented on screen and their actions are not disproportionate to what they’ve been through. I call horseapples on killing a dozen people just because daddy slapped you a few times, for example. People who defend Trixie and insist she has probably had a tough life ignore the fact that this has never been part of her character. All this being said, the biggest problem with this episode is that despite her sympathetic motivation, Babs went WAY TOO FAR. This episode spreads the message that Bullying is Bad. Umm, yes, thank you, we got that, in fact, we got it the first time DT and SS showed up back in the FIRST season. We’re in season 3 now, so we got the message a long time ago. Not only are they heavy handed with this moral even by this shows standards, but they give some negative aesops and implications. Being bullying justifies being bullied? No! That might make it a bit more understandable, but that doesn’t make it RIGHT. Whatever Babs went through back in Mainhatten, it’s no justification for how awful she was here. How was she so bad? Well, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon tend to bully the Crusaders whenever the opportunity arises, but rarely, if ever, do they seek the Crusaders out and basically STALK them like Babs did, and they were never PHYSICALLY abusive. Babs was so bad I honestly half-expected Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to have an “Even Evil Has Standards” reaction and tell Babs that she’s going too far. Speaking of that, where the heck did Silver Spoon’s character development go? Back on “Family Appreciation Day” she had a Pet the Dog moment where she showed respect for Granny Smith and agreed with Apple Bloom that DT owes her wealth to AB’s family, and then in “Ponyville Confidental” there was no Silver Spoon at all, leading fans to think that the two had a falling out. Now comes THIS episode where Silver Spoon is right back to being just as bad as Diamond Tiara. A possible well-done Heel Face Turn due to character development gone just like that! CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT Motherbuckers! Do you speak it!? Instead of telling us that bullying is bad, tell us how to DEAL with it instead of this nonsense about how telling an adult makes you nothing but a tattletale. In fact, since so many authority figures tend to ignore or even encourage bullying, how about having conflicting authority figures? Maybe a Straw Pony to refuse to stop the bullying and then get called out on it by sympathetic authority figures, like Twilight, Applejack, and Cheerilee, thus showing that while some adults won’t stop bullying, they are WRONG for not doing something. Heck, given the way Applejack glared at DT and SS, she was likely about to step in to put a stop to it before Babs beat her to the punch. Back to Babs, yes, she had sympathetic motives, and yes, she DID apologize. Far more sincerely than Twilight’s friends did for the Wedding incident, come to think of it. However, her behavior was so over the top that even a sincere apology isn’t enough after what she did. I try to sympathize with Babs considering what she’s been through, but she went past the point of deserving sympathy WAY before the Crusaders decided to fight back. Then there’s this nonsense about how standing up to a bully makes you just as bad. Uh, NO IT DOESN’T. The bully will keep hurting you and keep hurting you and KEEP HURTING you, destroying your self-esteem and mental health, and in some cases PHYSICALLY ENDANGERING YOU. If you show the bully they can’t push you around like that and you will defend yourself, and that can be done without actually hurting the bully and certainly won’t continue once they stop. “Saved by the Bell” handled this once, the main character used defensive karate to stop the bully from hitting him, but once he had the upper hand, he refused to strike, showing mercy the bully didn’t. I tried to consider this merely an over the top episode with a good message but…It was too uncomfortable to watch, with the ending not being as satisfying to watch. I regret to say that “One Bad Apple”, was One Bad Episode.

Magic Duel: I’ve already reviewed this episode in another blog, “Dueling the Magic of an Episode” but I’ll attempt to summarize here. This episode just doesn’t work, at all. First off, Trixie’s motivation makes no sense. She wants revenge against Twilight, but Twilight didn’t do anything wrong. Trixie resents Twilight because Twilight “showed her up”, which is poor motivation because “Showing up” Trixie was not Twilights intention, and it only happened as a side effect of Twilight saving the entire town. This makes Trixie look selfish because she is opposed to Twilight’s actions, which by the way saved hundreds of innocent lives, and this makes it look like Trixie values her ego over the lives of innocent ponies. Also, Trixie was supposedly “humiliated” because she couldn’t beat the Ursa, even though no one else except Twilight could do that in the first place, so it’s not like Trixie had anything to be ashamed of. I don’t see how being unable to defeat a creature a hundred times your size is a “humiliating” experience when no one else could either. If this is because she CLAIMED she could, then it’s her own fault for deliberately LYING about her abilities. Trixie is a charlatan, so her lies coming back to bite her in the flank is karma. Then there’s the fact that when Twilight stops the Ursa, Trixie is among those whose lives were saved, so as a result Trixie demonstrates a very ungrateful attitude. Plus, Trixie has a flashback to being laughed at by other ponies, which is either Trixie LYING or is a retcon by the writers, because if you go back and re-watch “Boast Busters”, NO ONE laughed at her, and why would they, considering THEY wouldn’t have been able to beat the Ursa either? Also, we’re supposed to believe Trixie has fallen on hard times, and is struggling to make ends meet, but look at the size of that bag of bits she plopped down, that is a LOT of money for someone who has supposedly fallen on hard times. Despite the “hard times” Trixie is going through, she merely seems indignant as opposed to actually suffering. She’s upset that she has to work on a rock farm…what, does she think she’s too good to work on a rock farm? She didn’t seem particularly overworked or miserable, merely indignant. Also, how is this Twilight’s fault? She didn’t tell everyone to mock Trixie, and she didn’t do this to make Trixie look bad, she did this to save hundreds of innocent lives, and to save Trixie’s life as well. Trixie displays a very self-absorbed, arrogant, and ungrateful attitude this episode, AND her claims of suffering and misery don’t match the flashbacks, AND her claims of being mocked openly contradict the episode this is a sequel to where THAT NEVER HAPPENED. What all this amounts to is that despite this being Trixie’s redemption episode, it COMPLETELY fails on all fronts to actually make Trixie sympathetic. I’m rather annoyed by the revelation that people who didn’t like Trixie found her more sympathetic after this episode, considering everything she does here either makes her look completely selfish, or directly contradicts what we already know. To top things off when she “apologizes” for her antics, she’s apologizing for what happened THIS episode, NOT in her debut episode where she was truly a villain and not under the influence of a dark artifact. Her apologizing for the corrupting influence of the amulet glosses over what she did wrong of her own free will back in “Boast Busters”, thus failing to actually “redeem” her, because she’s not remorseful for what was actually HER fault. Furthermore, what the heck happened to Twilight’s magical ability? I’m not talking about the fact that she lost the duel, I’m talking about how low-tier the magic by BOTH her and Trixie used. Neither of them did anything anywhere near what Twilight can do normally, nor what you’d expect a decently talented magician can do with enhanced powers. Not to mention Twilight fails miserably in Zecora’s training, getting NOTHING right, despite being the prized student of the local God Empress. As if that wasn’t insulting enough, at the end, Twilight struggles with a simple levitation trick and needs help from TRIXIE of all ponies. Why is it in the episode this is a sequel to, Twilight could lift a few hundred tons, but in this episode she’s struggling to lift a dozen or so pounds? Inconsistent writing, that’s why. Twilight, one of the smartest, most talented, and most competent characters in this show spends this entire episode coming off as a complete putz, which is at odds with how she’s usually portrayed. Compounding the characterization issue, is Fluttershy suffering from SEVERE character derailment because, and I’ll be blunt here, she was an absolute jerk in this episode. Specifically she was a jerk, unprovoked, to Twilight, who has been nothing but kind to her since they first met. This scene was supposed to show Fluttershy being protective of her animals, but she threatens, that’s right she THREATENS Twilight, apparently not trusting a confirmed animal lover and well known Nice Girl to not allow harm to come to those animals, and treats Twilight as untrustworthy. This comes just a few episodes after Fluttershy STABBED TWILIGHT IN THE BACK in order to hang out with royalty, so which of these two is untrustworthy? Finally, at the end, Fluttershy is so afraid for her animals she’s sobbing in Spike’s claws. This is supposed to be really sweet, but I personally was filled with disgust for Fluttershy here, because she is once again showing she doesn’t trust Twilight, despite having no reason to not trust her. This really came off as needlessly cruel, and is downright hypocritical after “Canterlot Wedding”. As if her cruel treatment of Twilight wasn’t enough, Fluttershy’s timid nature is grossly flanderized here and she’s made to be more cowardly than she actually is. Fluttershy has proven several times she can come through for her friends when they need her, but here she absolutely refuses to help, which is Out Of Character for her. I am aware Fluttershy’s fearful nature is often played for laughs, but keep in mind that the definition of courage is overcoming your fears to do what needs to be done, which Fluttershy has done multiple times in the past, and she may actually be the bravest of the Mane Six (Not Rainbow Dash, who is more reckless and overconfident) so this was a misuse of her personality. To top things off, there’s the treatment Snips and Snails got. I originally ignored it because I thought it was a “Kick The Dog moment”, meant to show how far Trixie had sunk, which nicely cements her as a villain, or at least shows how evil the amulet is that it caused her to do that. Instead, to my horror and disgust, it was a “Take That Scrappy!” moment because the fans don’t like them. There are problems with this, first off, Snips and Snails paid their dues back in “Boast Busters” when they were made to clean up the mess they caused, so no further punishment was necessary. Second of all, they didn’t do anything wrong THIS episode, so they’re being punished for really no actual reason, and far from giving them what they deserve, actually makes them the victimized party, so saying they “got their just desserts” is completely wrong, because they’ve already paid for their original mistakes, and they did nothing to deserve it THIS time. If you’re going to mistreat a character, make sure they actually deserve it, like having their punishment come directly in response to them doing something wrong. Akane from “Actually I am” is a good example of this, as she frequently does horrible things, but tends to be brutally punished for it before the chapter is over. Third, apparently them being abused is good because they are “annoying” even though having scratchy voices and being a little dumb does NOT justify a brutal beating and what was essentially slavery, by forcing them into servitude against their will. Trixie is mistreating them even though they haven’t done anything to deserve it, which makes HER in the WRONG, and THEM the victims, which defeats the purpose of “punishing” them in the first place. All this is unless what they “did wrong” was hurting Trixie’s reputation. Keep in mind Trixie is a fraud and a charlatan, so she has absolutely no moral high ground her, not to mention they exposed her as a fraud by ACCIDENT, as they honestly thought she would defeat the Ursa. The fact that she couldn’t is her OWN FAULT because she is the one who LIED IN THE FIRST PLACE. Fourth, and finally, mistreating characters the fans dislike is basically advocating hatred instead of tolerance and forgiveness, which THIS show of all shows absolutely SHOULD NOT DO. This show is meant to advocate love and tolerance, NOT hatred, so mistreating characters just because the fans dislike them is unacceptable. Funny how this fanbase claims to be the “fanbase of love and tolerance” while themselves being so full of hate. It’s one thing to dislike someone, it’s another thing to take such delight in seeing them suffer. Twilight herself was likably nice here, and there’s a sweet moment with her and Spike, AND it was really nice seeing Twilight’s friends rush to defend her after she lost to Trixie, but overall, the bad in this episode takes up the entire thing, and what’s bad about this one, is REALLY bad, with the good content taking up barely a few seconds, so, as much as I dislike being so harsh on ANY episode in this show, I must rate this as another Atrocious episode.

Sleepless in Ponyville: I really didn’t care for this episode the first time through. Watching a second time, it’s not as bad as I thought, but still not one that really sits well with me. I’ve never really been a fan of Rainbow Dash herself,nor of her relationship with Scootaloo, due to Rainbow’s rather self-centered and arrogant personality. Scootaloo wants to be JUST like her, with makes me uncomfortable, because I’ve never seen Rainbow Dash as a role-model, as she feels to me like she’d be a bad influence on kids. Note that she ENCOURAGES reckless “fearless” behavior. That’s all well and good for her, considering her skills and legitimate physical toughness, but she encourages this in kids. Kids should be taught to be brave, yes, but what so many people fail to realize is there is a difference between bravery and recklessness. Bravery isn’t the absence of fear, it’s when you don’t let fear overwhelm you. Dash’s lack of fear isn’t due to bravery, it’s due to overconfidence and arrogance. If she was praising Scootaloo for her ability to keep a cool head under fire, now THAT would be a good thing. Anyway, this episode moves at a pretty good pace, and the interactions between the characters are rather good. Except Rarity and Sweetie Belle, as I was horrified by the way Rarity treated her little sister, forcing her to not only drag that heavy cart all by herself, but to push Rarity in her chair. That was AWFUL, and easily the worst part about the episode. Yeah, yeah, she gets a throwaway line about wanting to spend time with Sweetie Belle, but a common tactic by domestic abusers is fake kindness to draw their victim back in after a line of cruelty. I might expect something like this from Shining Armor, but Rarity is an actually DECENT older sibling, and this is beneath her. To make matters worse, she does the same thing to Scootaloo. Upon rewatching, I realize I’m actually being kind of unfair. After all, APPLEJACK doesn’t exactly call her out on it or try to help Sweetie at all, so I really think Sweetie Belle was treated badly this episode for no real reason, which is a big mark against it. Though this is softened by Applejack actually expressing concern for Scootaloo, who btw was really sympathetic here, because being afraid is one of the things people have a hard time admitting to, and it is nice seeing the Crusaders getting individual characterization. I’m just uncomfortable with the fact that she obsesses over Rainbow Dash of all ponies because, as I’ve said, Rainbow, to me, feels like she’d be a bad influence on kids. While it is good seeing their relationship developing, I’m not satisfied with the way it was handled, though on the upside, not only do we finally get to see Luna again, but she was excellent. A little firmer than Celestia, which is fine, since it differentiates her, but still warm and kind, and we got a bit of World-Building, seeing what Luna can do in the Dreamworld. Overall, I’d say this was on the higher end of Meh. Without Rarity’s mistreatment of the fillies, and handling Rainbow and Scootaloo’s relationship a bit better, and this would have been good.

Wonderbolts Academy: Finally, we have an actually decent episode. It’s good to see the plot advancing with Rainbow actually moving toward her dream of being a Wonderbolt, and I found her rather likable this episode. Her friendly competiveness with Lightning Dust shows maturity on her part, suggesting Character Development after “Fall Weather Friends”, and this one of the few episodes where Dash actually demonstrates her loyalty, being willing to give up her dream because she doesn’t want to be around the ponies who endangered her friends, because her friends, and her principles are more important to her then her dream. Lightning Dust herself is not a bad antagonist either, and serves as a nice foil to Dash. Lightning Dust is less overly rude and egotistical than Dash is, HOWEVER she is much colder and more self-centered, and MUCH less moral. During “Mare Do Well”, Dash was portrayed as in the wrong for risking the lives of innocent ponies, and the others acted like this was beneath her, which it was. Here, Dash further shows that by being clearly opposed to Lightning Dusts “Get ahead, even at the cost of others” attitude, and only putting up with it because she thought she had to, but ultimately sacrificed her dream for what she felt was right. I’m in two minds about Spitfire this episode however: On one hand, I don’t like how cold she came off, considering she was really popular among fans for her warm, approachable personality during her official debut in “Best Night Ever”, adding on to her humble, down to earth portrayal during her very first appearance during “Sonic Rainboom”, so it doesn’t sit well with me that she was much colder and sterner this time around, as she feels almost like a different pony. On the other hand, I can kind of see why she was like this, as her “Drill Sergeant Nasty” routine was meant to show the recruits that she’s not going to coddle them, and they’ll have to work hard. I can accept this, though I would have preferred that she drop the façade every now and then, like maybe at the end when she pulls Dash back into the Wonderbolts, AND punishes Lightning Dust. All this being said, there were a few things this episode I didn’t care for. I’ve said before that Pinkie can be pretty hit or miss depending on the portrayal, and I’m sad to say this episode was a miss for her. Her focusing that much on being around Dash is meant to make her look like a caring friend, but to me she just looks like an obsessed stalker, which is made even worse after “A Friend in Deed”. I know Pinkie is a bit out there, but she worries about Dash forgetting about her when they’ve probably been apart longer when they just haven’t run into each other for a while. It’s…grating as opposed to sweet. Probably the biggest problem however, was that Dash’s likability this episode was tainted by how it felt like she was kind of holding the Idiot Ball. I’m supposed to oppose Spitfire for “advocating” Lightning Dusts reckless behavior, but as far as I can tell, she never even knew Lightning Dust was doing those things. Notice Lightning Dust never did it in front of her, and no else even TOLD her. Notice that the moment Rainbow brings it up, Spitfire pretty much IMMEDIATELY puts a stop to it. She didn’t have to be called out on advocating that, she needed to be informed it was happening. Notice that when Dash brings it up, Spitfire pretty much goes: “Wait, WHAT?” While looking shocked. Earlier, when Dash approached Spitfire to take over as Leader because of Lightning Dust’s reckless behavior, she just goes: “…I should be leader!” and never explains what Lightning Dust was doing, and Lightning Dust never actually risked anyone where Spitfire could see it. It seems that had Dash brought that up the first time, episode would have ended at the halfway point. I know sometimes the characters have to drag things out for the sake of getting a full episode, but when they do stuff like this, they need to be called out on it. Spitfire should have said something like: “Why didn’t you tell me she was doing that, you bonehead?” given her personality this episode, or something more civil, given her personality during her DEBUT. This episode had its problems, but overall more screen time was given to the good then to the bad, so I’d be willing to rate this a Good episode, even if on the lower end of the scale.

Apple Family Reunion: Okay, likable characters are good, but they can’t necessarily carry a whole episode themselves. This really does feel like, as others have called it, a Filler episode. I understand Applejack is determined to make this a great family reunion, but it feels like nothing really came of it. I don’t remember anything exciting, or dramatic, or emotional, or even funny. It wasn’t a bad episode, it just felt like it lacked substance, and while there was a bit of creativity like with the different colored bats, overall it felt like you really wouldn’t miss anything if you didn’t watch this one. There wasn’t much in the way of characterization, and the humor, action, and emotion were all kind of lacking. That being said, it was nice seeing Babs again, and SO much more likable then she was the first time, so no wonder she’s considered Rescued from the Scrappy Heap. Still, while again it wasn’t a bad episode, it was just kind of…unmemorable. So this one was kind of Meh.

Spike At Your Service: I’ve reviewed this one before, but I’m going to try and summarize here. This episode is…problematic, mainly because Spike himself receives some pretty heavily Character Derailment here. While his attitude is likable, the biggest problem with this episode is how the normally highly competent Spike literally cannot turn around this episode without causing some kind of a disaster. Again, literally, as he makes a mess, grabs a mop to fix it, and promptly knocks over a shelf, creating an even bigger mess, and this is the running theme, anytime he tries to do something, he messes it up, and when he tries to fix that, makes it even worse. I can understand having an off day, but this was far beneath what we could normally expect from Spike even on his worse day. Running with a character quirk is one thing, but completely reversing their personality is unacceptable. Also, the Dragon Code thing makes no sense, this has NEVER come up in any other episode, and a previous episode “Dragon Quest” even shows Spike doesn’t want to be like other dragons, so why would he have a code on the matter? Even worse, both these episodes were written by Merriwether, who for the record has done some decent episodes, and is not nearly as terrible as people seem to think. This is only a couple problems with this episode, but the ENTIRE episode revolves around this, so we’re treated nothing but “lol Spike is incompent”, which Spike fans understandably did not take well. More toward the end, things get even worse, as for some reason Applejack as opposed to Twilight, the actual plan maker, comes up with the plan to “repay” Spike. There is…no excuse for how….poorly thought out that plan was. A fake Timerwolf that barely has any resemblance at all to a REAL Timberwolf, and even someone with eyesight as bad as mine wouldn’t have been fooled. Spike even points out how obvious it is, and is clearly insulted. With good reason, this plan was insulting to his intelligence. As Mr Enter would say: “Pointing out your problems does not make them go away”. It’s one thing to make fun of your flaws, but this was played seriously, and not for laughs, and it wouldn’t have been funny anyway, because the Mane Six KNOW Spike is not an idiot, so there’s no misunderstanding or quirk to play off of. They just straight up thought he would be fooled, even though they KNOW he’s not stupid, so there really isn’t a joke here, and it’s bad characterization. Another problem here is that this episode cannot be consistent with the characters, as for one thing, Twilight flees in terror from a mere Timberwolf despite having faced much worse without batting an eye, and even more glaring, Applejack can’t handle ONE Timberwolf despite effortlessly defeating THREE at the beginning, AND she gets her hoof stuck in a rock SMALLER then her hoof. I am well aware that they were on a tight schedule to get this one out, but that only softens the blow, it doesn’t improve the quality. There was some lovely interaction between Spike and Twilight, but that takes place over a few seconds, compared to several minutes of poor and inconsistent characterization. Oh, speaking of Twilight, I am disgusted and annoyed by the flak she gets for “neglecting” Spike, considering her very understandable position. She is on a VERY tight deadline with a heavy workload, so can you really blame her for being distracted? Especially as it’s been hinted Spike is in the habit of bugging her while she’s trying to get stuff done? How was she supposed to know it was actually important? If anything, Spike was kind of holding the Idiot Ball, as he can SEE Twilight isn’t paying attention, and KNOWS how distracted she can get when she’s occupied. I happen to know that there is a fanfic that addresses this episode, and does a nice job keeping Spike competent AND actually explaining the Dragon Code in a believable manner. On the other hand, it outright villainizes Twilight, and Applejack comes off as a hypocrite for being angry on Spike’s behalf despite not actually CONFRONTING Twilight on her “neglectful” behavior, or giving her the benefit of a doubt, knowing how nice she is, and how close she and Spike are. Then again, after “Canterlot Wedding” I can believe Twilights so-called “friends” don’t actually care about or respect her. No, I’m not bitter against that episode at all, why do you ask? Anyway, while I give Merriwether more credit than most, this episode really did Spike no service, so I must rate it as a truly Bad episode.

Keep Calm and Flutter On: I was…not looking forward to this one. Hasbro already tried a redemption episode with Trixie, and it failed miserably. Even with M.A. Larson at the helm, they could not plausibly redeem Trixie. What chance does a writer NOT named M.A Larson have of redeeming a villain whose evil and cruelty are even worse than little miss “I’m better than everyone else and won’t shut up about it”? Right off the bat we’re hit with a plot hole. Celestia wants to reform Discord because she has use for his magic. I have to ask: Why? She locked him up one thousand years ago, and has NEVER had use for him. Once he got free, her first move was to do everything she could to have him TAKEN OUT IMMEDIATELY. Celestia’s reason for turning loose a threat to her country too powerful for even her to defeat is incredibly vague and tells us nothing, considering Equestria has done just fine without him ever since it was founded. One reason I dreaded watching this one is because the only power that can defeat him are six trinkets he can easily steal, and has before. The writers attempt to hand wave this by having Celestia say she cast a spell on them to prevent that, but considering he is far more powerful than she is AND has gotten by spells he shouldn’t have before (See how he got the Elements back in “Return of Harmony”), that’s a pretty flimsy explanation. Not to mention, what’s to stop him from teleporting the Mane Six away from the Elements? Or just brainwashing them (Like he did to Fluttershy when she refused to be corrupted)? Or heck, considering he tried to pick up Twilight’s tiara later in the episode, what’s to stop him from just PHYSICALLY taking the Elements? Or just teleporting himself away anytime they show up? Discord has too many ways around the Elements for Celestia’s explanation to make any sense. Plus, we’re not given a reason WHY Celestia wants to try and reform the most powerful and evil being ever in Equestria. Celestia knows how dangerous Discord is, so why would she even consider turning him loose? She’s seen the depths of his cruelty, so why would she think he would willingly change? In fact, that’s another problem with this episode. It’s not that Discord WANTS to change, or has committed actions even he regrets. “Magic Duel” at least tried the latter, even if it goes against the character Trixie was introduced with, but at least the writers TRIED (sort of) to have Trixie change of her own free will. Discord? He’s being coerced. They’re trying to force him to change. I’m all for giving someone a chance if THEY want to take it, but despite what a lot of people seem to think, some people just refuse to change. That’s the problem with this fanbase, they seem to think that if you just give someone a chance, they’ll change…and rather conveniently, they only offer this to the characters THEY like, and will ignore anyone else. They only seem to offer the “They can change!” thing to characters THEY personally like, which is part of the reason behind the “All Girls Want Bad Boys” trope: “I can change him!” Aside from the hypocrisy of claiming to love someone despite you trying to change everything about them (Like Courtney toward Duncan in Season 2 of Total Drama: Action), people seem to think only the ones THEY like can change for the better. This is why Lauren didn’t want to give Trixie a redemption episode, because while anyone CAN change, many people choose NOT to change. I’ve heard there was a gradual build-up of Discord slowly changing for the better this episode. There wasn’t, he was a complete prick up until the final four or five minutes. Even the times he was seemingly being “nice” he does something at the same time to show he’s faking. On top of the plot holes this episode revolves around, there’s some Family Guy style gags. As in they drag on WAY too long and aren’t funny. Namely the “joke” with Discord stretching. There’s too many stretches where nothing is really happening, and he doesn’t do anything particularly clever or interesting. Compare to Disney’s “Aladdin” where Genie pulls this same joke, but is much quicker about it, so it doesn’t lose momentum. Some scenes run too long and add nothing, and some of the “jokes” are weak. On the other hand, the Mane Six receive some good characterization, as every one of them behaves how you’d expect, although they kind of feel like Straw Ponies for not believing Discord can change (When they’ve got very good reason NOT to trust him). I also give credit for a couple of decent gags, like the Brick Joke with Discord eating paper, and more so, the joke about Rarity not wearing her fanciest dress was Actually Pretty Funny. As such, this episode goes back and forth between tolerable and outright bad. Then comes…THAT scene. The one where Fluttershy tells off the others for not giving Discord a chance because he’s “less than perfect”. This scene is just…wrong for so many reasons. First off, Discord is tormenting her friends right in front of her, and she has the GALL to defend him when they RIGHTFULLY call him out on his crap. Second, “less than perfect”? As in the guy who terrorizes the defenseless (As show by the Stained Glass Window early in “Return of Harmony”), emotionally tortures others, makes reality itself uninhabitable for the natives, and revels in the misery and suffering of others. That’s not “less than perfect”, there’s another word for that, but I can’t think of what it…oh yeah, EVIL. See, the Mane Six are “less than perfect” because despite their flaws, they are good hearted individuals who do not hurt others for their own sick amusement. Even Rainbow Dash, jerk she can be, is ultimately a heroic pony who helps others. Discord is not a flawed but decent individual that others refuse to understand, he is a mind-raping sadist who has spent EONS thriving off the misery of others. Going even further, Fluttershy accuses ALL FIVE of her friends of “not giving him a chance” even though Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie WERE giving him a chance, and ONLY Rainbow was the one who called Discord out on his behavior. That’s not even getting into the fact that Rainbow was TOTALLY RIGHT. They were TRYING to be civil to Discord, and he took unfair advantage of that. So Fluttershy’s self-righteous little speech? It was total crap. They WERE giving Discord a chance, and he took advantage of that to be a jerk, and they RIGHTFULLY call him out on it, and Fluttershy acts like THEY’RE the ones in the wrong! This is potentially a Dethroning Moment of Suck, especially as it comes off as hypocritical, considering that not ten episodes ago, during “Canterlot Wedding” Twilight was “less than perfect” and Fluttershy refused to give her a chance, so who is she to talk? Then when Fluttershy outright calls Discord a friend, he INSTANTLY changes, with no build up to it, even though friendship is something that goes against the very core of his being, as the spirit of DISHARMONY, a title that is conveniently ignored throughout the episode, despite them bringing up his title of Chaos. The lesson here is that if you treat someone who is evil and cruel as a friend, they’re return your kindness. Umm, BULLCRAP. There are countless people in both fiction and real life who are unmoved by kindness, and will happily take advantage of you. THAT would have been a far better lesson for this episode. Be prepared to offer kindness if you think it will help, but don’t blindly think everyone will change just because YOU want them to. Be ready to accept that not everyone wants to change. As the Spirit of Chaos, Discord was very entertaining in his debut (Not so much here), but as the Spirit of Disharmony, friendship, kindness, etc, are things that goes against the entire point of his character, as everything about him is in direct opposition to Friendship and Harmony. It’s even in his name: DISCORD. At the end, Celestia says she senses a change in Discord. Umm, no, he’s still a massive prick who screws over everyone else for his own sick amusement. Heck, her side comment to Twilight even makes it clear she still doesn’t trust Discord, and I’d say she has good reason. Incidentally, I’ve heard multiple people say that Pinkie should have been the one to reform Discord. As someone who already sees Pinkie as being portrayed as unrealistically perfect and infallible, I am completely opposed to her reforming someone too evil for anyone else to reform. One final note here, this being in regards to Angel Bunny. Some people enjoy this and see it as a “Take That Scrappy!” moment. First off, Discord really didn’t do much, so if you enjoy seeing Angel suffer, one would think you’d find it underwhelming. Second, this fandom takes a disturbing amount of pleasure in seeing characters they don’t like suffer, despite claiming to be the Fandom of Love and Tolerance. It’s one thing to be satisfied seeing Angel get comeuppance for doing something wrong, but it’s downright cruel to actively ENJOY his or any other characters suffering. Considering Angel didn’t do anything wrong this episode, he was actually the VICTIM and should have been considered the sympathetic party. There’s not much focus on this, so it’s less a problem with the episode and more a problem with the fanbase. Anyway, while it wasn’t as awful as I feared, it was still mediocre with notable plot holes and a lousy ending, so I would place this one as a Bad episode.

Just for Sidekicks: You know those episodes you can tell right away you’re not going to like? Right at the beginning I knew this wasn’t going to be one of the good ones. The Spike fans are likely going to be upset with me, because rather than being upset on Spikes behalf, I actually found it very difficult to sympathize with him this time. It starts with the highly implausible set up as he scarfs down those gems in a rather ridiculous manner. Now, if his stomach had been rumbling and he was absently popping them into his mouth while searching through his recipes, I could understand, but the way he holds those gems high, high up and then snatches them out of the air, far from making me think Spike got a raw deal, it feels like it’s entirely his own fault, making it difficult for me to see him as a victimized party. Then we have his solution: He offers to look after the pets, not because he wants to help, which he would have an almost any other episode, but because he’s trying to get them to bribe him with gems. Now, I’m normally not the type to berate the characters for not taking an “obvious” solution, but I have to ask: Why didn’t he just ASK the Mane Six for gems? Surely Twilight, his big sister / mom would have a stash to give him the occasional treat, and Rarity has always been willing to simply give him a gem or two. Even worse is the way Spike basically guilt trips them into doing so, complete with a smug expression as he dangles that measuring cup in front of their faces. I’m supposed to feel sorry for him because he’s not getting his cake, but between screwing himself over in an implausible manner, and guilt tripping his friends, he really came off as highly unsympathetic here. To top things off, once they’ve left, and he’s alone with the animals, he proceeds to NEGLECT his duties and goes back to his cake, only looking after the animals once they get out of hand, which they wouldn’t have if he had done what he agreed to do in the FIRST place. Then we have Angel, who in my eyes comes off as a Designated Villain this episode for not cooperating with Spike. He’s portrayed as a bad guy for defying Spike, and the other animals don’t like him…but what did he really do wrong? He’s going against Spike because Spike isn’t doing his job and Angel shows more interest in getting to Fluttershy, who he seemingly doesn’t want to be separated from, so you’d think fans would be happy that for once he’s not abusing Fluttershy. Any excuse to hate Angel, right? Even if he’s not actually doing anything wrong? Again, I can’t sympathize with Spike because he really brought this on himself AND didn’t care about doing the job he agreed to. What was supposed to happen? He neglects the animals all episode, and then gets praised for “taking care” of them? Just to drive it home, in order to escape the job HE agreed to, Spike dumps the animals off on the Crusaders who by all counts are LESS qualified for this than he is. He doesn’t enlist their help, he passes on the job ENTIRELY, when HE’S the one who agreed to look after them in the first place. It’s supposed to be heartwarming that Spike is horrified and runs in when he hears Tanks head is missing, but remember: HE’S the one who agree to look after Tank and then ditched him, so it’s HIS tail on the line if anything happens to Tank. Not just Spike, Rarity was pretty bad here too, with her needing to be TOLD to reward Spike, doing so reluctantly, and then giving him this dinky little thing that wouldn’t even qualify as a snack. I’m sure someone out there will defend Rarity by pointing out that smaller gems tend to be less flawed and therefore are worth more money, thus Rarity really was very generous! Small problem: Spike uses those gems for food, NOT money, so the size WOULD matter more than the monetary value, as Rarity would be darn well aware of so that explanation doesn’t fly. That’s not even getting into the plot hole of gems being worth money in this episode to begin with. In the real world, they have monetary value, but in the show they have long since been decorations and dragon food, NEVER in this entire show have they been seen actually being worth money. Otherwise Rarity would be filthy rich off ONE dress, and they’re essentially letting Spike eat money. Not to mention your random joe wouldn’t know how much those gems are even worth, so it’s pretty odd that they can be used as currency at random, instead of an exact amount being known, such as that unseen shopkeeper who sold that giant, industrial sized machine to three little kids, which has horrifyingly unfortunate implications. So between Spike, Rarity, and an unseen shopkeeper, we have a really unlikable cast this time around…oh, and Zecora. Zecora! Freaking Zecora was unlikable here. In the only scene in this episode where I actually felt sorry for Spike, she takes his gem, calls him a dumb cluck, and doesn’t help him fix the situation! If Zecora comes off as unlikable, something went really wrong somewhere. The only good parts of this episode, Twilight actually being justifiably concerned that Spike may be in over his head (Competent as he is, six pets at once may be a bit much) and Rainbow Dash giving Tank a quick nuzzle and then playing innocent is both cute and funny, but take place in a very short period of time, nowhere near making up for the rest of the episode. Having this and “Games Ponies Play” take place at the same time was interesting, but that alone doesn’t make them good episodes, the episodes THEMSELVES have to be good on their own. Phineas and Ferb does this concept much better, so safe to say, I did not get a kick out of Just for Sidekicks. Bad Episode.

Games Ponies Play: The beginning, where Twilight picks up that little fillies flag, showing that sometimes it’s the little things that show how nice you are, and Rainbow’s desire to make sure the Equestria Games are not spoiled for the kids, made for a good start, but it went downhill from there. First off, I am normally not the type to complain the “the characters were idiots” like a lot of people do, and I’m normally forgiving when the characters screw up, but even I feel there was no excuse for the way common sense went out the window this time around. Making a mistake is one thing, but going out of your way NOT to realize and fix said mistake despite having EVERY opportunity is unacceptable. Not only did the Mane Six make a serious error, it was a very easy error to avoid, but it felt like they avoided the easy solution, ASKING in order to double check, for the sole purpose of making that mistake. They dance around the issue all episode long, never noticing their guests confusion, never addressing her by name, simply so that the mistake could continue. It’s one thing when you make a mistake and aren’t given the opportunity to fix it, but when you spend an entire episode AVOIDING the natural behavior that would lead to you realizing your mistake, it’s sloppy writing. It would have been incredibly easy for them to make one little slip up that would lead to them realizing their mistake, but they avoid every chance to realize something is off. Compounding this problem, Twilight felt really flanderized here, being constantly anxious the entire time. “But that’s NORMAL for her!” people will shout. Actually, no it’s not. Yes, Twilight does tend to blow things out of proportion, but as long as she has some measure of control over the situation, she does just fine. As long as she has a plan, a course of action, she can stay focused, and her anxiety is not abound. She had complete control over the situation here, AND it was a diplomatic meeting, which should have been right up her alley. The breathing exercises were not necessary, and were in fact insulting, as it requires exaggerating how worked up Twilight actually gets. If she has control over the situation, a course of action to take, she’s in her element. It’s only when the situation is beyond her control that she gets THIS anxious. Unfortunately, Shining Armor is in this episode as well. I’ve noticed a pattern with this “totally awesome big brother”, in that he and Twilight only see each other when she’s visiting HIM, specifically when she’s doing something for him. First, she goes to see him in Canterlot to plan HIS wedding, then he goes to the Crystal Empire to secure HIS throne, and now she’s in the Crystal Empire again to make sure HIS residence gets to host the Equestria Games. They only see each other when she’s visiting him, and he NEVER goes to visit HER. He’s friendly sure, but again, notice how in Canterlot Wedding, the moment she displeased him, he kicked her out of his life. This is his THIRD appearance and he has yet to redeem himself, and it looks like he’s only friendly to her when she’s doing something for HIM. Also, you could cut him out of this episode entirely and it would have made absolutely no difference. Literally his ONLY purpose in this episode was to be Twilight’s totally awesome big brother…which, and I’m not going to sugarcoat this, he absolutely SUCKS at. Shining Armor is still the worst sibling in Equestria, and one of the worst characters in this show. As for the rest of the episode….it lacked substance. There was no real characterization beyond Twilight being grossly flanderized, there was no action, nothing was particularly funny, and there was no real emotion. Basically, this episode lacked ANY sort of entertainment value, making the flaws (The Idiot Plot, Twilight’s Flanderization, and Shining Armor being a Creator’s Pet) that much more obvious, as nothing is there to soften the blow. For one final blow, this episode happened at the same time as “Just for Sidekicks”, which was even worse. Having two episodes happen during the events of one another is a neat concept, but neither of these episodes were very good. Phineas and Ferb did this same concept, but did it first, and did it BETTER. I truly, truly don’t want to be so negative, but the writers aren’t giving me anything positive to review. This one wasn’t as bad as “Just for Sidekicks”, but the lacking content and glaring flaws just barely tips this one over the line into a Bad rating.

Mystery Magical Cure: Another surprisingly controversial episode. I’ve seen complaints, even from my best friend; that this episode started good, and then the quality dropped in the second half. Personally, it’s the other way around for me. I wasn’t that impressed with the first part, but I rather liked the second half. While I’ll admit the first half might have overdone it on songs, those sings were quite well done and entertaining. My personal favorite being “A True, True Friend”. I can already hear people asking the difference between this and “Smile”. It’s really simple, actually: “Smile” is about one apparently infallible individual being loved by everyone, while “True Friend” is about being a good friend in general, it is not specific to one individual, and doesn’t mean that one individual is loved by EVERYONE, it’s just about being a good friend to those close to you. The whole town celebrating? Well, isn’t friendship something that can unite us all, and the whole point of this show? Also, when the rest of the Mane Six place Twilight in the spotlight, she pulls them up to join her, showing the humility that makes her such a lovable character. Plus, one can argue that everyone’s Cutie Marks getting mixed up, and then returning to their true talents is about celebrating what makes YOU special and unique, and not trying to be something you’re not. There’s no shame in not being good at something, just value yourself for what you ARE good at. That’s a lesson I personally could stand to learn, heh. Some people criticize Twilight for just casting the spell without knowing what it does, and that it could have been dangerous. Despite how much people love to portray Celestia as a mean-spirited Troll at best, and a tyrannical monster at worst, the truth of the matter is that Celestia is one of the kindest, most caring characters in the series, and there is no way she would send Twilight something dangerous without warning her. Twilight trusts Celestia, so there was no reason not to cast the spell. The only thing I didn’t like about the first half was Twilight slamming the door in the mailponys face, as that kind of running gag is kind of mean, and for all that Twilight is written as “Innocently Insensitive”, that just feels like too much. As for the second half, I liked it. Unlike with Cadance, we’re actually given an explanation as to why Twilight is an Alicorn, and it’s a good one. Twilight has all the best virtues a true leader should have: The integrity not to abuse her position, the generosity and kindness to look after those under her, the loyalty to never abandon those who need her, and the optimism not to give up on what will surely be a tough job. Plus, Twilight is a leader who inspires others to follow her, and place their faith in her. The intelligence to make the correct decisions, and the virtues not to be corrupted by her position. Now, I’ve heard plenty of arguments against Twilight being a princess, whether it be in favor of the other five, or just against Twilight herself, and pretty much all of them ring hollow. The others are just as worthy, because they accomplished those things alongside her? No, it’s not about their deeds, it’s about personality and capability. The others are just as worthy because like her they are the best at their Element? No, see, each of them is an expert in THEIR Element, but Twilight has a strong affiliation for ALL the Elements. She’s the Jack-of-all-Elements, as it were. Applejack might be more honest, Fluttershy may be more kind, Rarity more generous, and Pinkie more optimistic, but Twilight is not far behind each of those categories. Twilight doesn’t deserve it? Uh, why? Celestia EXPLAINED why she thinks Twilight is worthy, and her arguments are TRUE. Celestia didn’t ASK Twilight if she wanted to be a Princess? Sunset Shimmer wanted to be a Princess, and look how well THAT turned out. Twilight’s lack of a self-entitled desire to be a princess is why she’s worthy, since Twilight has ALWAYS put her duty, and the needs of others, before her own desires. Celestia not asking is because she knew Twilight would accept the position, out of a sense of duty, and the desire to do right by others. Twilight now has the power to change things in Equestria for the better, and she WILL. Besides, who’s to say Celestia and Luna wanted to be rulers? Who’s to say they got a say in the matter? Knowing those two, they became rulers because they knew the good they could do for Equestria, regardless of whether or not they wanted to have that power, just like Twilight is doing now. Twilight continues to prove her likability when she refuses to take credit for her own achievements, and instead calls the other five over to give credit to THEM. The same five who turned against her when it suited them to do so, so THIS episode gives them superior characterization by not having this change the way they treat Twilight, as she is still their buddy first and foremost. Also, I love how at the end while she’s riding her chariot, she jumps out to join her friends, once again proving her humility. Shining Armor is in this episode, and for once I can’t criticize him, since he’s actually being a GOOD big brother, as rather than being jealous of Twilight’s success, he’s so proud of her that he’s shedding…okay, I’ll admit, the “Liquid Pride” thing was pretty funny, as was Pinkie pulling out a glass of water from nowhere JUST to do a spit take. Oh, and it was nice seeing Twilight’s parents involve in her life. While there wasn’t much humor this time, that’s because this was a more emotion based episode, one with character growth, and there were still some funny moments. Oh, and how about Rainbow’s first thought about Twilight being an Alicorn is that she has a new flying buddy? This episode had great characterization, good songs, good emotion, and the explanation for Twilight’s ascension was good. Was Twilight becoming an Alicorn necessary? No. Was it handled well? I think so, yes. I really don’t have any major complaints, and it was handled really well. Overall, I think Twilight was right: Everything is going to be JUST fine. Good episode.

Top Five Worst
5: Keep Calm and Flutter On
4: One Bad Apple
3: Just For Sidekicks
2: Spike At Your Service
1: Magic Duel

Top Five Best
5: Apple Family Reunion
4: Too Many Pinkies
3: Sleepless in Ponyville
2: Wonderbolts Academy
1: Mystery Magical Cure

Overall? Season 3 was a complete fiasco in my opinion. Only two actually good episodes, with a few decent ones. More than half the episodes were bad at best, deplorable at worst. Let’s hope Hasbro gets their act together for Season 4. See you then!