Top Bolt review

Hello there. Another week another episode. This time we've got another Cutie Map episode. most of these have been following a formula which I've alluded to in an earlier review. the first one to break this mold was Viva Las Pegasus, and it was so refreshing to see these map episodes go in a different direction, mostly because I didn't expect them to do so. This is the penultimate episode before the season finale, and I have had a lot of fun writing these, and thank anyone who has read them. We have one more week to go until the end of season 6, and it has been a crazy ride. But before we get to there and back again, let's take a look at Top Bolt. My thoughts below.

This was another good Cutie Map episode. Like Viva Las Pegasus before it, I was a little apprehensive about watching this episode when I learned it would involve a friendship problem, but thankfully the episode only dances on the edge of the mold set last season and before the hiatus (more on that in a bit). This episode also features Rainbow Dash in her new capacity as a Wonderbolt (as the title would imply) working alongside Twilight to solve a problem.

The problem in question, is centered around two long time friends who are applying to be accepted into the Wonderbolts Academy, Vapor Tail and Sky Stinger. At first, I didn't quite care for Sky Stinger. He was a little too arrogant and full of himself for my taste, and yes while it's true that Rainbow is also a little lot arrogant, she at least has some redeeming qualities (like loyalty to her friends). When I first saw Sky Stinger, I thought he was basically a Lightning Dust copy. Thankfully, he wasn't though. He just thought he was super talented because Vapor Tail was always helping him. Speaking of Vapor Tail, I thought, of the two of them, she was a much more interesting character in the beginning. She was always willing to put her life on hold to help her friend achieve his dream of being a great flyer. A great aspiration for any person, within reason. That leads me to the "dancing around the mold" bit I mentioned earlier.

When Rainbow and Twilight realize what is really going on between Vapor and Sky, they debate about what they should do. Twilight thinks they should confront them both, while Rainbow thinks they should wait a bit. This is unsettlingly similar to the major issues I've had with the Cutie Map episodes in the past. Both characters want to do what they think is best and end up being at odds with each other, until they finally realize what the real problem is and solve it in 20 seconds.

Another thing I enjoyed about this episode was the comedy. It really reminds me of Testing, Testing, 123 where Twilight tries to teach somepony (Rainbow) about something and they end up falling asleep. Twilight's face when she blasts the air horn at Rainbow who has fallen asleep almost immediately was priceless.

One final thing before we end. In the episode, there was a Pegasus named Angel Wings, who was played by a girl through the Make-A-Wish foundation. This is such a wonderful thing to have happened and it reminds me of something that happened about 11 months ago. A man named Daniel Fleetwood wanted to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens before he died. I was one of the over 4,000 people to sign the petition to let him see the movie, in case he didn't make it to the release date. It was a good thing that he got to see it, because four days later, he (as fans of Star Wars say) became one with the Force. Hopefully the person who got her wish in this episode will be here for a long time to come, and will be able to enjoy the multitude of new material we've got coming out. That's about all for this episode. Next time, it's the season finale.