Season 6, Episode 16 Thoughts and Review · 2:06am Aug 28th, 2016
I really need to keep up with my reviews better, but oh well, let's just get onto the episode itself!
The episode opens with Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer traveling to the Crystal Empire via Friendship Express. Twilight is excited to see her niece Flurry Heart, and Starlight is excited to see Sunburst. Though Starlight is a little worried about falling behind in her friendship lessons, Twilight assures her that she can learn about friendship anywhere.
In a nearby seat, Spike is in disguise and masking his voice. When asked why, he explains he does not want to attract attention from the Crystal Ponies because of his "brave and glorious" reputation.
Well, he turned out to be right...
Upon arrival to the Crystal Empire, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike find the train station and streets to be completely empty. As soon as Spike removes his disguise, Crystal Ponies appear to swarm him, cheering his name and pleading for him to save them once again. Twilight and Starlight ask what is going on, and the Crystal Ponies wonder to themselves if they are who they outwardly appear to be. When they begin to question if Spike is as he appears, they flee in terror.
Outside the palace, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike are stopped by royal guards—even Twilight's princess status and Spike's Empire reputation prevent them from getting through.
Starlight was so done in this episode.
When Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Sunburst enter, Cadance confirms Twilight's identity with their "Sunshine, Sunshine" dance.
I love these two so much.
Cadance, Shining Armor, and Sunburst explain that the Empire is in a state of panic because a changeling had recently been spotted. After the events of Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding, they are taking all necessary precautions, especially since changelings feed on love and the Empire is filled with more love than anywhere in Equestria ever since the Crystalling. Fearing for Flurry Heart's well-being, Twilight offers to help protect her.
Did anyone else notice how the colors have changed for her? I guess they toned them down a bit.
Spike joins the royal guards' search for the changeling in the Arctic Wastes outside the Empire, and the guards defer to Spike's command. After splitting up the group to cover more ground, Spike stumbles into an underground cavern and nearly falls into a deep chasm. He is briefly startled by his own mirrored reflection, but his reflection turns out to be the changeling itself.
We always knew that changelings could change into ponies, but not into other species! That's such a cool add-on to the lore!
As Spike runs away from the changeling, he falls into the chasm, but the changeling saves him from plummeting to his doom. Spike is considerably confused by the changeling's act of charity. The changeling introduces himself as Thorax and says that, ever since he was first hatched, he has always been different from his fellow changelings.
EPIC CALLBACK
Having taken part in the invasion on Canterlot, Thorax wanted to share its love instead of steal it. Since then, he has lived on his own in search of friends with which to share love, but his basic changeling instincts prevent him from venturing out into public. Having a reputation among the Crystal Ponies as a hero, Spike offers to speak to them on Thorax's behalf.
Spike returns to Shining Armor and the royal guards and says that he not only found the changeling but also befriended him. Unfortunately, the ponies are so disdainful toward changelings that they consider such a feat to be impossible and that Spike's ramblings are merely a joke.
"There's no such thing as a nice changeling."
— Shining Armor
Spike returns to Thorax's cave to give the bad news, but he comes up with another plan. He brings Thorax to the castle under the guise of an average Crystal Pony and introduces him to Twilight as his pen pal "Crystal Hoof". After a successful meet-and-greet with Princess Twilight, Spike takes "Crystal Hoof" out in public to mingle with other Crystal Ponies.
Thorax handles social interaction just as well as I do.
A short while later, Spike and Thorax return to the palace to meet with Princess Cadance and the others. As the disguised Thorax is openly welcomed, Cadance introduces him to Flurry Heart. However, the love coming from all around her causes Thorax to succumb to his basic changeling instincts, and he inadvertently drops his disguise.
Oh, dear...
The ponies immediately turn on Thorax, believing that he has taken "Crystal Hoof"'s place. Surrounded by so many angry ponies, Spike is unable to bring himself to stand up for his new friend. Thorax runs away in tears, and the royal guards give chase. As Shining Armor and the royal guards search for Thorax, Spike looks for him in his cave.
CHANGELINGS CAN TURN INTO ROCKS, OMG
Thorax comes out of hiding and hisses at Spike, giving up hope that a changeling can ever have friends. Spike apologizes for not standing up for him, and Thorax forgives him since he is such a respected hero to the Crystal Ponies. With that, Spike sets out to make things right.
Back at the palace, the royal guards search frantically for Thorax, believing that there may be other changelings hiding nearby. Suddenly, Spike appears before the ponies alongside Thorax. Before they can take any action, Spike says Thorax is his friend and expresses through heartfelt song that changelings are just as capable of change as any other creature.
I am very happy with this song, #notsorry
Also, there was this little bit right here:
This is such a minor detail, but I absolutely love it.
When the song ends, Twilight says she's proud of Spike for risking his celebrity status for a new friend. As the princess of friendship, she officially extends a warm hoof to Thorax, which he tearfully accepts. Having received the message of Spike's song, Cadance extends her hoof to Thorax as well on behalf of the Empire, and Shining Armor welcomes him as an official citizen.
Real glad he didn't do that hiss thing... that would've been awkward.
As representative of the changelings, Thorax looks forward to learning all he can about friendship and bringing that knowledge back to the Changeling Kingdom so that changelings can learn to share love among themselves instead of stealing it from others. As the ponies cheer for Spike and Thorax, Starlight echoes Twilight's sentiment from the train: friendship lessons can happen anywhere.
To start off, let me say that I really enjoyed this episode! It was so cool to see more about changelings and to get another glance at the Empire. However, I can understand why some people didn't like it, so I'm gonna go ahead and address a couple of them.
First off, I have heard a lot of complaints about how Thorax was accepted way too easily and should have faced more adversity. I can totally understand that, but you guys... this kinda isn't new...
Nightmare Moon, the first villain of the show, is redeemed by the two-parter's end and is transformed into the fandom's sweetheart, Princess Luna.
Discord, a chaos god who reigned over Equestria and had to be taken down by the Elements, was deemed in one episode.
Sunset Shimmer, a former student to Celestia who threatened Twilight's crown and home, was reformed almost instantly upon defeat.
Finally, we have Starlight Glimmer, a pony who gathered a cult of ponies and literally put Equestria's future at stake because of an ideology that spanned from a childhood friend leaving her after getting his cutie mark... reformed and accepted into the Mane Six with a 2 minutes song.
So... Hate to be that person, but this isn't new to the show. This show is centered entirely around friendship=magic, and because of this, friendship is pretty much always gonna be endgame. So, if you don't like the idea of friendship somehow fixing everything, then you are watching the wrong show, buddy. If you want more complex plot, then go watch a show for adults.
Now, let's get back into the fun parts about this episode. To start off, I really liked learning more about the changelings! It was so cool to learn more about what they can transform into, as well as how they're born.
LITTLE LARVA
Also, I just really love Thorax. He's so cute and adorable, I just wanna hold him... He's a real sweet guy and just wants to make some friends. I feel like he and Pinkie would get along real well!
...hopefully with less screaming.
It was also really nice to see Spike get an episode and for him to make a new friend. This epsiode fits in well with this season's theme of going to new places and I'm very happy Spike got to be a bigger part of it. Hopefully his next episode will be just as good, if not better than this one!
Speaking of next episodes... Heh. I looked back at my old reviews and realized I haven't been including next week's episode like I normally have. I'd fix it now, but next episode literally aired today, so... hopefully I have a review for today's episode out soon!
Is there anything that you feel like I missed in this episode? If so, comment down below and we can talk!
Some would argue that at this point, FiM IS a show for adults, but even if that's the case, I agree that friendship being the go-to solution is never going to change.
As for the episode as a whole, it's easily Spike's best episode of the series, but I find 28 Pranks Later to be slightly better. Both are near the top of the season, however.
I liked the episode. I did not mind Thorax being accepted so easily. It was the first step, and there will be bumps along the road, like with the other reformees. But it will be easier for Thorax because what icks ponies is his species, not his personality, like with Discord for example.
Though I did think that after it has bitten her in her hindquarters one time, Chrysalis would have memorized the Sunshine, Sunshine routine in case that it would ever come up again. She doesn't do things nilly-willy, she's a schemer.
Which brings me to another point - I trust Thorax, but I do not trust the Bug Queen. I think Thorax could have been made the way he is on purpose, so in time something like this would happen. Now Chrysalis may have an unaware bugging device and time bomb in the center of her greatest enemy's base.
My biggest issue with the ending was that Thorax didn't have anything to do with it. You're right with what you said about the other redemptions, but Nightmare Moon and Sunset got blasted with pure friendship, Starlight was confronted by the disaster that her views would bring, and Discord risked losing a bond he formed with Fluttershy. Thorax... showed up.
I suppose an argument could be made that Thorax wasn't even the one being redeemed since friendship was his motivation through the entire episode. In fact, after typing that, it makes perfect sense. Cadance, Twilight, and the others were being redeemed. They were the ones being confronted by something with Spike's song.
Eh, I'll still complain about Thorax not doing anything. More Thorax would not have been a bad thing. Can't wait to see him again.
It was just good to see the show explore changelings more. I spent a year writing a story about one of them, and I was eagerly looking forward to an episode like this ever since.
My biggest issue is THE NEXT EPISODE WAS A PARODY OF D&D AND BUTTON WASN'T EVEN IN THE BACKROUND DAMNIT
... Stupid writers, I swear. Even Big Macakiin isn't gunna start up to the might of Sir Buttoknight.
Thorax really is a great guy who's misunderstood.
The changeling larva were so cute, up until their first hiss. Thorax was still cute, though.
Spike and Thorax are a cool pair of friends.