MLP episode "The Times Are a Changeling" · 1:29pm Aug 22nd, 2016
NOTE: the blog entry contains minimal spoilers, but I can't predict what the comments will hold
So I watched this episode with interest to see if it denied any headcanons. Setting aside the question of the inherent quality of the episode, I found myself wanting to know more. While it's nice not to really have any headcanons completely shot down, I felt the episode was lacking in any real additional info (other than maybe how baby changelings are born). Really, the only thing that went against the grain of Second Chances, Many Changes was that some characters' reactions may have been a little different had those events actually taken place.
In a way it did confirm one headcanon, which is that some changelings can choose to try to deal with their nature in a less destructive way.
Either the show has something bigger planned for them later, or they thought they'd just let the fans keep changeling stories going. Who knows?
Hopefully we will be seeing more Changeling's soon!
I hope they do do more on changelings, because as it stands I consider the episode to be a huge wasted opportunity.
They did confirm two other things about changelings that we didn't know for sure until now with the simple act of having Thorax turn into a rock:
One, the transformation magic isn't simply an illusion, it's an actual transformation of the body.
Two, changelings can, in fact, transform into inanimate objects as well.
I don't think we will be seeing Thorax again this season, as I just checked Kyle Rideout's IMDB page, and it says he was only in one episode of MLP. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2079911/?ref_=rvi_nm
Well, we also know that there is zero "hive mind" and that every changeling are his own person. And that changeling detector spells don't exist.
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The inanimate object thing was indeed a surprise, though I always thought that changelings actually did morph into the shape of the creature they are imitating rather than just projecting an illusion. That was the premise I used in the story, which I figured is what made it hard to penetrate their disguise.
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I'm still not convinced that there isn't at least some sort of hive mind, perhaps just not as strong as it is obvious that some changelings can break free of that mindset (which is the same theme I used in my story). I don't think this episode really answered it definitely one way or the other.
As for the spell to detect changelings, that is definitely a complete invention on my part for the story. It would have been cool if Twilight had really developed such a thing, but I had no expectations that the writers would do that.
Well, I think the developers of the show are trying to play Changelings by ear. I expect them to dish out more Changeling canon given time and positive feedback, so if they start to piss people off by smashing too much head canon at once, they can tone it down and not include as much. It's really a dangerous road to walk, as considering how many conflicting Changeling head canons there are, it's inevitable that every canon addition will destroy at least one head canon. The goal, I'd guess, is mainly to play towards the enjoyment of the viewers: Exactly the way it should be done.
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If the studio wishes to make individual Changeling speaking characters, then of course there would not be an absolute hive mind. Such a thing would preclude the possibility of characters with normal agency.
However, it almost doesn't matter whether or not the Changelings have a Borg-like hive mind. Why? Because the studio gave us something more important: Chrysalis is the all-mother (of her hive), so it is written. Changelings do not have their own parents/ families/ clans. They are indeed like hive insects in reproduction. Chrysalis gave birth to all of them. Canon.
You don't need a hive mind when your absolute monarch and patron deity is also your mother. You gon' do what she tells you.
I know this is late by roughly a week or so, but there's another cannon that seemed to be broken. Before this episode that it was believed the ponies the changelings turned into were ponies they saw before, and yet in the episode Thorax turned into a crystal pony which I could only infer a few things from:
1) If Thorax turned into a pony that already existed there seemed to be no indication of it from the other crystal ponies that were visiable which leads to...
2) ...Thorax must've come up with his own pony disguise