Season 6 Finale Pros and Cons

I wrote a “pros and cons” blog post for the Season 5 finale back when I had so few followers that no one probably read it. So I figured, why not do it again for Season 6 and see how it compares?

Pros:

1. The build-up in Part 1 was good overall.

2. Trixie had some good zingers, as did Discord. Between the two of them, this may be the funniest two-parter in the series, FWIW.

3. I've been critical of Starlight in the past, but to her credit, she did at least notice that the Mane 6 were acting off.

4. I love how Queen Chrysalis didn't think Starlight was important enough to kidnap.

5. Starlight's invisibility spell is interesting, as it seems to turn ponies invisible except for their eyeballs. That's an intriguing detail that places a limitation on her power. And apparently Trixie knows the spell too, which would fit her special talent as an illusionist.

6. Trixie actually sacrificed herself to help Starlight and Thorax reach the throne.

7. The way Chrysalis revealed herself in the throne room was creepy and unsettling and I loved it.

8. Starlight has grown as a character. In this episode, she showed that she does care about other ponies and their genuine opinions, and not just when those opinions concern her. It was also a smart choice for the writers to force her not to use magic, which has been her vice and crutch throughout the season (besides, I've been saying that she needed to be nerfed since “Cutie Re-mark”).

9. I'm glad Chrysalis didn't become reformed in the end. That was getting too repetitive.

Cons:

1. I don't like the new design for the Changelings. Those hues do not go well together. At least one person on the official discussion thread pointed out that some real beetles have similar color schemes, but just because something exists in nature, doesn't mean that it looks good on a cartoon elk-pony-beetle.

2. It makes MLP-sense that shared love would satisfy the Changelings' hunger far more than stolen love, and it even makes sense that it would trigger a metamorphosis. However, the other Changeling drones went along with it way too easily. At least Thorax had time to learn about friendship from Spike. The other drones had never known true friendship before, so it felt forced for them to suddenly give love when they'd never felt real love for anyone before. It just happened too fast for my suspension of disbelief. Love and friendship take time to learn how to give and receive, as Starlight, Trixie, and Discord can attest. It would have been better if Thorax had been the only one to transform and he promised to help the others learn about friendship, similar to Gilda (and later Gabby) for the griffons and Ember for the dragons.

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Overall, this is the best two-part episode since “The Cutie Map,” and it was interesting to see a group of “secondary characters” rescue the Mane 6 and Spike. However, the rushed, forced ending weakened an otherwise strong entry. In spite of that, the story had a much better structure and fewer plot holes than "Cutie Re-Mark." So at least it had that going for it.

I should also note that this was the second double-length episode in a row where Twilight took a backseat to Starlight, and the third one in a row where the other Mane 5 were shoved to the side. While it was an interesting experiment to have Starlight lead a ragtag group of reformed antagonists (and Thorax), I'd like to see the Mane 6 and Spike be active participants in the next episode, especially any of the Mane 5 other than Twilight.

I'm not optimistic about Season 7, but that's a topic for another blog post.

Comments

[Quizer]

I thought it was a great season finale overall. It was great to see this motley band of secondary characters cast as the heroes. Let's go over your points, shall we?

P1: Agreed.

P2: Yeah, the Trixie and Discord interaction was pretty great. Don't know if I'd go as far as funniest two-parter, but it's definitely up there.

P3: Critical of Starlight how? Also, look at how creepily motionless not!Pinkie is in that scene after they return to Ponyville. That right there is a huge alarm signal that something is very, very wrong with Pinkie Pie.

P4: Yeah, talk about irony. Magically, she can give Princess Twilight a run for her money, despite being only a unicorn. I don't really mind Starlight being overpowered like that. I get the feeling that Twilight still avoids showing off when she can - that streak of modesty she showed in Boast Busters is an integral part of her character.
Also, unlike Starlight, magic doesn't tend to be her first choice when he has a problem to solve. She is much more of a generalist than Starlight and doesn't seem to put a high priority on training her magical abilities. Like you said, Starlight tends to use magic as a crutch. I think she (used to) put significantly more effort into improving magically than Twilight did. Starlight is the brute force to Twilight's research and carefully applied magical touch.

P5: I can easily see that spell fitting into Trixie's specialty, though I assumed Starlight was using it on both of them. I seem to remember only her horn glowing.
Also, I would probably treat the eyes as a fourth-wall kind of thing that we viewers are able to see, but other observers might not necessarily be able to. Though if you want to think it through really deeply, it would actually make some sense - for your eyes to see, they need to intercept the light, so 'real' invisibility should actually blind the user. This is something that almost every portrayal of invisibility in fiction just glosses over.

P6: Yeah, another indicator that her friendship with Starlight is equally good for both of them. I really hope we'll see more of these two interacting in the future.

P7: Yup, that was pretty cool. Hey, was it just me, or did Celestia have a bored look on her face while stuck in that cocoon on the ceiling?

P8: Agreed. That whole bit where Starlight was reluctant to take charge of things after screwing up so badly made for a pretty decent plot point for her character development (though it was hammered home pretty heavily as usual). Should be interesting to see where they go from that in season 7.

P9: Should be interesting to see what kind of revenge plot she comes up with in the future. It seems likely she's going to have it in for Starlight in particular. Think she'll just create a new hive, or make some other allies? Maybe some artifact of power?

C1: I'm ambivalent about those new changeling designs myself. The new designs don't look that terrible, and the variety in coloration does look good on them as a whole, but I was kind of fond of their original look. I would have preferred for them to keep a mostly black color scheme, maybe with accents like the wings that vary from changeling to changeling. I also would have liked to see more variation in the original changeling design.
Maybe they could also have evolved into something with a monochrome color scheme, going with whites / greys / blacks to give the individual changelings some variety while still providing some contrast with the more colorful species that already exist in the world of FiM.

C2: The other changelings being converted was way too sudden, but that is sadly par for the course these days. It seems like they ran out of time towards the end of the episode. Starlight did have a bit of a monologue where she was trying to convince Chrysalis, but the other changelings were shown to be paying attention to her lecture unlike their queen. Still, that is not enough. If it makes you feel better, just pretend there was some division in the ranks of the changelings, and the more hesitant ones needed some persuasion / needed to see that it would work.
.

I didn't even notice that the Twilight / the Mane 6 got pushed to the background that much in the season premieres / finales, but it seems you are right. Maybe we can get another map episode where the entire Mane 6 are being called for the season 7 premiere, or something...

What makes you worry about season 7? Overall, season 6 seemed to be excellent, continuing the trend of the quality of the show steadily improving (though nothing in season 6 beat the two stand-out episodes in season 5, "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" and "Slice of Life"). If this trend keeps going, I don't really see anything to worry about.

[Krazyfan1]

. I don't like the new design for the Changelings. Those hues do not go well together. At least one person on the official discussion thread pointed out that some real beetles have similar color schemes, but just because something exists in nature, doesn't mean that it looks good on a cartoon elk-pony-beetle.

agreed.
you know what would have been easier? fixing the holes in their legs and tears in their wings....maybe adding in some Antenna and stuff...

[FanOfMostEverything]

Pro 5: I interpreted it more as a camouflage spell than an invisibility spell, one that affected skin (including eyelids) but not eyes.

Con 2: I think it was a combination of the promise of not feeling hungry and seeing that it actually worked. Something along the lines of Pascal's wager: If it worked, they'd never be hungry again. If it didn't, who would know?
That being said, every changeling going along with it all at the same time was a bit much.

And hopefully now that Starlight has had a character arc, they'll allow the Mane Six to play a more central role in Season 7's two-parters.

[Maran]

4267349

Critical of Starlight how?

To quote one of my earlier blog posts:

Maybe it's just me, but I liked Starlight better as an average unicorn who relied on her cunning and manipulation more than her magic. But no, apparently she can go toe to toe with an alicorn who was supposedly a prodigy even when she was still a unicorn. And she can use her telekinesis to make herself fly around like a pegasus, something I don't remember seeing Twi do.

Starlight's sad backstory and motivations were really weak. It was almost as underwhelming as Dr. Doofenshmirtz's “I lost my choo choo train” from Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension. She seemed petty and juvenile, like she's a grown-ass mare who never moved beyond a six year-old mentality. Is this someone any reasonable person would want to be friends with? Yeah I know, “little kid show,” but we've seen a lot more maturity in other episodes. Just look at the beloved “Amending Fences” as an example.

I was also really put off by her mind control of the Mane 6 in “Every Little Thing She Does.” I found it mostly funny at the time, but the more I thought about it afterward, the more disturbed I was, to the point where I was starting to wonder if Starlight had sociopathic tendencies.

I can easily see that spell fitting into Trixie's specialty, though I assumed Starlight was using it on both of them. I seem to remember only her horn glowing.

Also, I would probably treat the eyes as a fourth-wall kind of thing that we viewers are able to see, but other observers might not necessarily be able to. Though if you want to think it through really deeply, it would actually make some sense - for your eyes to see, they need to intercept the light, so 'real' invisibility should actually blind the user. This is something that almost every portrayal of invisibility in fiction just glosses over.

Watch it again and you'll see that Starlight and Trixie close their eyes when the fake Mane 6 walk past, and again when fake Twilight goes back to them. Why would they shut their eyes if they were invisible? Also, Starlight's invisibility spell ends before Trixie's does, which makes it seem like both of them are casting it, although it could be Starlight lifting both at different times.

I would have preferred for them to keep a mostly black color scheme, maybe with accents like the wings that vary from changeling to changeling. I also would have liked to see more variation in the original changeling design.
Maybe they could also have evolved into something with a monochrome color scheme, going with whites / greys / blacks to give the individual changelings some variety while still providing some contrast with the more colorful species that already exist in the world of FiM.

I agree; that sounds like a better design.

What makes you worry about season 7?

Well, I hope I don't come across as rude here, but getting into that in the comment thread would probably use up all my material for my blog post about it.

[Maran]

4267564

I interpreted it more as a camouflage spell than an invisibility spell, one that affected skin (including eyelids) but not eyes.

That would make so much sense!

[Quizer]

4267588

Maybe it's just me, but I liked Starlight better as an average unicorn who relied on her cunning and manipulation more than her magic. But no, apparently she can go toe to toe with an alicorn who was supposedly a prodigy even when she was still a unicorn. And she can use her telekinesis to make herself fly around like a pegasus, something I don't remember seeing Twi do.

That flight spell is something Twilight could probably figure out in an afternoon if she needed to, but now that she's an alicorn, it's not exactly a pressing matter, is it? Still, I'd love to see Twilight do it in the show, just to show that she can.

Starlight is shown as powerful and much more willing to use that power than Twilight generally tends to be, but we haven't really seen her do anything that I don't think Twilight could match if she put her mind to it. Even messing with cutie marks is something Twilight had already done in 'Magical Mystery Cure', when she was still a unicorn. Though one does have to wonder where Starlight learned all those high-powered spells. Her special talent (magic with a 'control' aspect, methinks) probably helped a lot, but failed to teach her when to use them...

Starlight's sad backstory and motivations were really weak. She seemed petty and juvenile, like she's a grown-ass mare who never moved beyond a six year-old mentality. Is this someone any reasonable person would want to be friends with? Yeah I know, “little kid show,” but we've seen a lot more maturity in other episodes. Just look at the beloved “Amending Fences” as an example.

Yeah, the ending to that season finale was pretty weak. Lemme quote a piece of discussion from elsewhere:

>>Quizer

I came around pretty quick on Starlight as a character. Her redemption was awfully sudden, much more so than even other characters who have been redeemed, like Sunset or Diamond Tiara. Since she had such strong convictions, it feels like a longer period breaking down her resistance should have been necessary. Still, I like her as Twilight's pupil, and I like to see the antics that happen when she backslides to her old methods.

>>superfun

Honestly, I think Starlight's redemption is one of the longer ones. Because it technically starts as soon as she sees just one possibility that her actions could lead to. Her taking as long as she did to tear the scroll apart is my big piece of evidence for it, since if she was still intent on going through with it, she'd have torn it apart right away, but she tore it slowly enough so Twilight could stop her. Twilight's words had already had an effect on her, she just wanted an extra push before she completely stopped.

>>Quizer

When I first saw the season finale, I was deeply unsatisfied by how unimpressed Starlight was by that barren wasteland Twilight showed her, and I still feel that way. She should have been way more shaken by what she saw there and by what Twilight said. Watching that bit again, I can see subtle hints as to her true feelings that I originally missed, but taking that into account, I feel her being shaken needed to be much more blatant. Originally, it didn't seem like it had much of an impact on her at all. In particular, she doesn't say anything to convey her shock, it's all in the subtle facial expressions that are on the screen for too short a time or seen from too far away. This is something that would have benefited from a less subtle touch.

It seems they ran out of screentime towards the end like with this season's finale and really had to rush the conclusion, making Starlight's conversion seem extremely sudden and rushed. In her case especially, it would have worked much better if they'd shown Twilight slowly wearing down her resistance, maybe having her show Starlight around a few of the terrible futures or something.

I was also really put off by her mind control of the Mane 6 in “Every Little Thing She Does.” I found it mostly funny at the time, but the more I thought about it afterward, the more disturbed I was, to the point where I was starting to wonder if Starlight had sociopathic tendencies.

I wasn't too disturbed by that episode; I mostly just found the antics caused by her spell hilarious. Her going for that kind of solution as her first resort also seemed entirely appropriate for her character. Still, she should have learned her lesson; hopefully the writers won't have her make that mistake again. Treat that episode as Starlight's "Lesson Zero", if you like.

Watch it again and you'll see that Starlight and Trixie close their eyes when the fake Mane 6 walk past, and again when fake Twilight goes back to them. Why would they shut their eyes if they were invisible? Also, Starlight's invisibility spell ends before Trixie's does, which makes it seem like both of them are casting it, although it could be Starlight lifting both at different times.

I think the initially closed eyes are to make it a better reveal for the viewer, making the 'invisible' ponies actually a little hard to spot. The second time Starlight and Trixie have them closed because they are trembling in fear. (Your explanation is also valid, though - entirely a matter of taste...) As for the spells ending at different times, there's really no good reason for that, though if you look at Starlight's horn, it keeps going after she becomes visible, so it seems clear to me she was still maintaining the spell on Trixie.

Well, I hope I don't come across as rude here, but getting into that in the comment thread would probably use up all my material for my blog post about it.

Fair enough; I can wait for you to put your thoughts in order. Looking forward to that post!

[Maran]

4267643

It seems they ran out of screentime towards the end like with this season's finale and really had to rush the conclusion, making Starlight's conversion seem extremely sudden and rushed. In her case especially, it would have worked much better if they'd shown Twilight slowly wearing down her resistance, maybe having her show Starlight around a few of the terrible futures or something.

I agree.

I wasn't too disturbed by that episode; I mostly just found the antics caused by her spell hilarious. Her going for that kind of solution as her first resort also seemed entirely appropriate for her character. Still, she should have learned her lesson; hopefully the writers won't have her make that mistake again. Treat that episode as Starlight's "Lesson Zero", if you like.

Another problem I had with “Every Little Thing She Does” is that Starlight didn't seem to realize she'd done anything wrong until Twilight pointed it out to her. Though you're right that it is similar to “Lesson Zero.” Maybe I'm just more forgiving of Twilight because I had already seen that she can be a much better pony, but I hadn't seen that as much with Starlight at the time I watched her episode.

I think the initially closed eyes are to make it a better reveal for the viewer, making the 'invisible' ponies actually a little hard to spot. The second time Starlight and Trixie have them closed because they are trembling in fear. (Your explanation is also valid, though - entirely a matter of taste...)

I think it's open to interpretation, although of course I prefer mine.

As for the spells ending at different times, there's really no good reason for that, though if you look at Starlight's horn, it keeps going after she becomes visible, so it seems clear to me she was still maintaining the spell on Trixie.

I just rewatched that part and you're right: only Starlight's horn glows in that scene.

Fair enough; I can wait for you to put your thoughts in order. Looking forward to that post!

Thanks!