Uncommonly Boned [episode spoilers!] · 12:36pm Oct 12th, 2017
There's more than one way to be a nerd.
(Hey, if you don't wanna deal with leaked episodes yet, why not go watch me play Cuphead instead? :3)
First, I want to talk about the ending. That silvery, swirly book in Sunburst's barrel is obviously related to the Legends of Magic books he's read in the comics. I mean, I know the season finale is about that, we haven't seen Star Swirl yet, that's probably his cutie mark.
But something pinged in the back of my mind. Turn your minds, and possibly also your eyes, back to the premiere of season three, specifically, the very final scene of season three, episode two. While Twilight's friends are busy singing her praises (god, it's been a while, I forgot that happened), Celestia and Luna look on, and the latter pulls out a book that looks awfully familiar all of a sudden.
Now I'm really hyped for the finale.
But for this episode, is it my imagination or are they building a team here? Starlight, Sunburst, Maud, Trixie, probably Thorax and then maybe… God, I hope not Discord, fuck Discord. c.c But still, it's a very weird thing to have an episode where Sunburst just shows up and makes friends with all of Starlight's friends, and after that reveal at the end, I'm suddenly suspicious.
Anyway, Starlight's old boyfriend shows up, bones her girlfriend and her other girlfriend and her other other girlfriend, and Starlight gets jealous, gee I wonder why. (You ain't got no game, Glimglam!) The conflict was obvious from pretty much the moment Sunburst arrived, if not before then, but it was fun to see play out. Headcanon that Sunburst is bad at magic holds up!
Can't say I was happy to see the Mirror Pool again. (What's with all the season 3 callbacks?) Do keep an eye on Boulder in the scene with Sunburst and Maud, though. And I'll say this: I'm not surprised the Mirror Pool chamber is connected to Maud's place, but holy shit, Starlight, can you not undo Twilight's seal on the potentially incredibly dangerous magical space? D:
I got a real thrill when she pulled that spell out near the end, but sadly, Twilight's fear of Starlight and Sunburst getting pulled into a black hole from the season premiere remains unfounded. :C That said, I like the theme, not overtly stated in this episode, that you won't necessarily be able to be friends with someone as an adult the way you were as kids. (You should fuck instead.) That is a new, worthwhile moral (whereas the "don't be jealous your friend gets along with your other friends" feels like something we've already gone through), and something Starlight was well fitted for. She kind of lives in the past, after all, since no one will stop reminding her of it. :V
OKAY BUT TWILIGHT SPEAKING OLD PONISH THOUGH :D
But seriously, for somepony who turned into a hipster when she went through the mirror to the human world, you'd think she would like geeking out about old thrift store crap. :B
The Perfect Pear
A Royal Problem
A Health of Information
Once Upon a Zeppelin
Parental Glideance
To Change a Changeling
Fame and Misfortune
Honest Apple
All Bottled Up
Daring Done?
Uncommon Bond
Rock Solid Friendship
Forever Filly
Secrets and Pies
A Flurry of Emotion
Triple Threat
Discordant Harmony
Marks and Recreation
Campfire Tales
It Isn't the Mane Thing About You
Celestial Advice
Not Asking for Trouble
Fluttershy Leans In
Hard to Say Anything
You're in My Head Like a Catchy Song
Best Friends Until the End of Time
Blank Flanks Forever
We're Not Flawless
Battle for Sugar Belle
Another episode that surprised me. I thought this would parade through the Main six, but instead Trixie showed up! I squeed! She was so damn cute during her scene with Sunburst I nearly broke my face smiling.
The moral is another one of those things that more pertains to older viewers, but it's nice to display it to younger ones too. The more exposure now, the less problematic it will be later on. At least in theory.
If it's not clear, I adored this one. I'm so glad the season is ending on such a high note.
You really want your mind blown, PP? Starlight tore time and space a new asshole because Sunburst was a lousy penpal. So, the first time she sees him in a while, he sees a quill and gushes over how he and Twilight can be penpals now.
This is the guy. This was her supervillain backstory. Ugh.
Now after criticizing you for mis-reading the first line of one of my stories, I go and read this title as "Uncommonly Bond (Episode Spoilers) and think, "Wow, that's an interesting crossover."
"Thank you for arriving so quickly, sir," said Twilight Sparkle, looking just a little nervous at the concept of a human being walking through the Castle of Friendship, and in particular, in her own library. "When I asked Princess Celestia for help with this friendship problem, I had no idea she would... um... pass on my request to other royalty."
"For Queen and country. Can I get you anything, Miss Sparkle?" The man continued to pour and measure in the minibar that Twilight had never realized was a part of her library. Why would a crystal castle even have a minibar in the library, anyway? This place really needed an owners manual. Or maybe it had one, and Spike already ate it.
"No, thank you. Well, maybe a mineral water. And an olive, with a twist of lime. Thank you, Mister...?" Twilight paused as the man swept a full glass onto the table (with coaster too, how considerate) in front of her and made himself comfortable on the cushion to her other side.
"Bond," he said. "James Bond."
Well it's only fair since she won't let anyone else forget either. :V
I think one of the problems Startlight ran into, and which she never figured out (though Twilight tried to push that way) was she didn't try that much to focus on what they have in common now, relying entirely on their past together. Like, sure you might both be nostalgic for that game, but I'm pretty sure we've seen them geeking out over magic together before, so why not try that a bit harder?
4695529
So, better or worse than the old Superboy ruined one of his experiments and caused him to be bald backstory for why Lex Luthor hates superman? :V
4695574
Better, but only because Lex is clearly better suited to being bald.
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Me, I like the moral that friendship isn’t as simple as sharing interests with someone. It can be that but it can also be, as Maud says, just being comfortable around each other and able to be yourselves without feeling awkward or judging each other.
4695529
Obviously, he just hadn't been to the right antiques shop.
4695565
I was trying to figure out a Bond joke for the title, and went with juvenile humor when I couldn't. :B
4695603
That's from the finale? I guess Star Swirl just slapped his cutie mark on all his journals, because it clearly isn't the same one, given the binding.
Ah, Ember! That's a good sixth. I was going to make a joke about Trixie, but I forgot what it was while writing the previous line. D:
4695529
Only because glim-glam is a goddamn idiot. If the ground had opened up and swallowed her as a foal, Equestria would be better for it.
Allowed myself the Canadian release of the ep. I figure it counts as waiting.
Another fun one - S7 is really picking up at the end. I really digged seeing Sunburst again, and seeing the rare interactions between non-main characters. This I think is what we need - not more Starlight and Trixie, but Starlight and Mac. Maude and the Cakes. Thorax and Ember. Fresh interactions instead of rehashing old ground.
I cringed in the best possible way when Twilight brought up magic and Starlight got super enthusiastic.
All, "Twilight, what have you done!" as Starlight again tried to use magic to solve her problems. Not quite sure what she was expecting the age regression to do, but I guess avoiding mind control or other dramatic measures shows progress on her part.
Kind of wish they'd have gone for a real shared interest instead of aged up Fireball Island, but still a fine ep.
Maud is and always will be one of the best. She just makes everything better when she's on screen.