Times They Are A Changeling S6E16 Review · 9:50pm Aug 20th, 2016
Time for MLP to shatter and confirm our headcanons in equal doses once more.
So, it wasn't a perfect episode, and I'll get to why. But it was very good. A bit predictable but then this is a plot you know MLP will play straight. It speaks to fear and prejudice very well, particularly in the first act where the very idea of a changeling being around has everyone tense. Queen Chryssy cameos, we get a friendly changeling, we see Sunburst again, Spike gets another episode this season to prove he can be written properly when the writers try, and he brings another friendship-wary species into the fold.
My main criticism is the third act. Spike not sticking up for Thorax felt like it was done to pad out the episode a bit. The song sequence was unneeded and seemed a way to bring the episode to a close. And in that, it bugged me that Spike's song was what brought the resolution. Thorax at no point tried to defend himself or stand up for himself, it was all Spike's doing. I would have liked to see Thorax be more proactive in his own story arc is all.
Also, it's really bugging me how underutilized Starlight is after joining the cast. Aside from cameoing at the start of Spice Up Your Life, this is the first time we've seen her since Episode 8. It seems she comes and goes as the writers have something important for her to do, and that shouldn't be. Just having her in the background hanging out with the gang would go a long way towards building up her status as a new mane character. And if she isn't supposed to be, why is she in the opening credits? This isn't a problem with the episode, just season 6 in general.
But as an overall it's a perfectly enjoyable and well-executed episode.
I still believe Starlight will be the main hero in the season finale, whatever that ends up being. I think they're trying to make sure she doesn't hog the limelight until then.
Her coming in an out doesn't bug me as much as how Rainbow Dash finally joining the Wonderbolts or Rarity now managing three stores in three different cities allows them to still do all the stuff they always do. You'd think Rainbow Dash and Rarity would be a little stressed for time and yet Rainbow Dash can go on a town wide pranking streak for a week. Hell, Applejack is still the one depicted as having no time to hang out with her friends. It's the Twilight as a princess thing all over again where it only becomes important when the plot demands it. Things change, yet they still remain the same.
I shouldn't be trying to project real-world consequences here, because kid's show, but real world consequences are being shown on a kid's show. The status quo rules all for a series like this, I suppose.
Sorry, had a bit of a rant there. Today's episode was great and I'm curious if Thorax will play into any future storylines down the line. New changeling queen, perhaps?
Yeah, I admit I'm a bit annoyed on how underutilized Starlight is. It's really one of my few main gripes with this season. She is Twilight's student, so you would think she would appear more, right?
An excellent episode. It has some clichés (the ponies who don't listen, the "pet" you have to hide, Starlight and Sunburst don't do anything) and its pacing is too rushed but it is pleasant (I still think Gauntlet of Fire is better but this is close like a gnat's wing). Spike has gain more development in 2 episodes than the past 4 seasons combined. Points for Chrysalis' cameo.
Yes, Starlight was underutilized but here's the problem: If they put Starlight the fans are pissed off because she's used as a plot device (and most people feel offended just because of her reformation saying "the least she appears the better" [how are you supposed to give her a second chance if you don't want to see her?!]), but if she's not used then she has no place in the show and is not necessary in the first place. She's stuck in a road to nowhere and there's nothing the writers or the community can do.
Also I have to point out this trivia fact that popped in my head after watching this: despite being the "owners of the world" ponies are the most racist and bigoted creatures of Equestria. Do they deserve to be at the top? What do the other races should do to deserve it? What happened so the equines become the rulers and the rest don't? Just some food for thought.
4161538
I have a theory, but it goes into way deeper stuff than the show runners are intending, I think.
There are some very powerful ponies in this world. However, the majority are not very powerful and there are a lot of monsters out there that prey on them. Ponies are herbivores so they have a herbivore mentality: run when they sense danger. They fear and suspect other races because they don't want to be eaten. So it takes a lot of time and understanding (or a song, apparently) to get them to trust things they deem as a threat.
Agree? Disagree? Wanna write a fic about it?
Starlight's underutilization doesn't bother me at all. She's an afterthought, a pale imitation of a much better character, and the less they shoehorn her into episodes, the better they will be, as far as I'm concerned.
4161631
You know how the author of the Song of Ice and Fire threatens to kill off beloved characters if the fans annoy him enough? Well, the FiM equivalent would be to turn characters you hate into princesses.
4161631 Yes, but at the same time the writers probably won't be writing Sunset (I assume you are referring to her) into the show; not this season at least (probably, although I really want them to).
At this point I'd love if the writers used Starlight a bit more and turned her into something that isn't just a shoddy imitation of another character. Even if only so I wouldn't sigh in frustration for what could have been when she makes an appearance.
4161572 I already did it but not exactly in that way. It's called Animal Cottage and it focuses in lesser creatures like Fluttershy's animals and themes like animalism, communism, loyalty, doing the right thing, betrayal, evolutive process and terrorism. If you've ever read George Orwell's Animal Farm or watched Zoo you'll be familiar with it.
4161538 Except for the fact that they wrote Season 6 before Starlight's reformation aired on television, so they had no way of knowing about the backlash against it. Now, for Seasons 7 onward, they could use the backlash to justify writing out or not doing anything with Starlight, but at this point I say they need to stick to their guns, or else Starlight's reformation will seem completely pointless.