S7E04: "Rock Solid Friendship" · 7:15pm Apr 29th, 2017
I'm going to have to use a page break this time, as I can't really discuss this episode at all without spoilers. Suffice to say it was good fun, great in places, but a bit let down by one aspect. ★★★
That aspect was Pinkie. Good grief was she annoying, almost in full "A Friend in Deed" mode. I get that this was the point, but although funny for a while it was really starting to grate by the end. The great bits came from Maud and Starlight's out-of-nowhere double act. Nick Confalone, you are a genius for thinking that up. I especially like the fact that Maudelina (!) is complicit in the whole Our Town fiasco. I now want an episode in which Maud is confronted by Party Favor and co about it. The show will probably never mention it again, though, so it's down to the fanfic writers. As ever. Spike was once again amusing in a small role, as was Rarity. If Pinkie had been even slightly more nuanced, this could have been a four-star episode. Still, I remain happier with the start of S7 than I was with the start of S6.
I think the main problem with Pinkie isn't that she was ridiculously persistent, but that she always did the same thing... over and over again, and it got old quickly. If she had tried a bunch of different tactics—some truly random and unlikely things—she would have been entertaining rather than irritating.
But the rest of the episode was pretty good. I'd give it a high three-star rating.