Better Late Than Never? · 8:14pm Oct 14th, 2017
Hi. Just finished s5. Well, netflix says I did. I don't really remember about... three episodes. Yeah I'm late, and yeah, no one is really going to care, but I'm trying to work out my own feelings still. So thanks for everyone who reads and comments.
The Cutie Map (My Little Gulag)
So, I've come to the conclusion that I, personally, have massive issues with the whole mind control/stealing a person's inner most self thing. The fact Glimmer is doing it ranks her up with Chrysalis as the most thoroughly vile villain of the series. The fact she does it for such a shitty reason ( see: 25/26) only really makes it worse. My personal issues are gonna come back every time I talk about this, or Bats, or Twilight Grows Some Wings, so forgive me in advance. I can't even begin to like this. I may post more on this later. Not that anyone cares :D
Nope/5
Castle Sweet Castle (Butt Monument Ahoy)
Alright. So we have a fairly standard friends screw up episode. This would be fairly forgettable, except the bit where they realize the problem they're causing and head it off and fix it. The tree roots things is a bit... weird, yeah, but I just love the thought that a season 1/2 version of this story would have had them get the after Twilight discovered their fuckery and this one has them realize and fix it themselves. It feels like character growth to me.
And the song was pretty fun.
4/5
Bloom & Gloom
You'll note that this episode doesn't have a snarky title. It was there. I watched it on my phone while at a baseball game. I watched it again when I got home. I can barely remember what happened in it. I like Luna actually doing the guardian of dreams bit, but I'm not a huge fan of anything that happened in this episode, nor am I upset about it. It was fairly forgettable.
2/5
Tanks for the Memories (The More You Know)
Pros: Rainbow Dash being Dumb, but in a cute, heartfelt way. Rainbow Dash really caring for tank, and not just as an accessory to sell toys. Crying on the inside.
Con: Rainbow Dash being a complete dumbass. The crying scene is maybe the hardest to watch moment of this show for me.
I felt like the premise of this episode could have made for an amazing, if somewhat self contained, lesson for Dash. But it went off its rails and just kept getting dumber and dumber. Like, all the setup and emotions were there for a great story, but then someone decided to go full slapstick on it instead of making an effort to keep Dash's actions out of the Moron Zone.
Also, I get yawning is contagious, but the crying scene just has me wondering WTF. I still don't get it.
2.5/5
Make New Friends but Keep Discord (Green isn't your color 2)
So, I expect to hate this. Because Discord has not been great since they decided to reform him. I was wrong. This was pretty awesome. The jealousy angle works really well. His petulance calls to mind the best bits of Q episodes, and it works really well. Rarity's nudity is even better than Fluttershy's cider-related cover-your-shame visual gag. I can't really find a fault in this episode (well, it didn't have Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash kissing, but I've come to terms with that being unreasonable for them to broadcast.) Trolestia is back in force with the best-gala-ever comment.
Oh wait. HippyHorse. Geh. I loathe HippyHorse. Get out. Please. I'm with Discord on this one.
5/5
The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone (Sleeping with my Ex)
Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash? Check.
Baby Gilda? Awesome
Friendship lesson and morale achieved? Check
Baking Powder?
I quite loved this episode. There's not a lot more to say. I'm glad they lost the treasure (crutch) that Gilda is apparently making a friend and fixing the problem in a way not subject to random acts of thievery. I could love episodes like this forever.
Plus, the "let me guess, friendship?" sneer followed by "baking powder" is one of those moments where the show manages to poke fun at itself without being super proud of its own cleverness. The other moments like it I can think of are Cheerilie's "My little ponies" and "Heart's as Strong as Horses."
5 Pinkie Pies and a baby Gilda/5
Slice of Life
Right. I lied. I didn't watch this. Sorry. I already have issues with the show writing love letters to the older fandom. I don't need to make myself angry. (Not doing something likely to upset myself? See, I *can* grow as a person!)
Princess Spike (Spike Episode)
Spikes screws everything up. I'm a bit tired of that trope. I get that he's the comic relief and the token male in a show for girls, but it would be nice if he got to be cool for a change when it's his episode.
That said, his heart was in the right place. And sleepy-twilight is still the most adorable thing around. Like goddamn, I could fall in love with that horse. (Too late, I think)
I did appreciate the complete disaster Spike was able to cause. That much mayhem takes talent. He should talk to the CMC about getting a demolition-inspired cutie mark of some sort.
3/5
Party Pooped (Appeasement is Magic)
Holy shit, I hate these yaks. Just fuck off. I loves Pinkie Pie. I loved everything she did. I wish she had made it to YYIS, but I don't think it would have changed the episode much. Pinkie was great, the yaks sucked. OMFG they suck. I almost feel like Equestria itself should reject them for being such cocks.
Sadly, it also kills a rather amusing bit of Fanon I had where Equestria was in the southern hemisphere and thus, the north was warmer. OH WELL, OFF TO REWRITE ALL MY FICS.
2/5 Pinkie wasn't able to save the show.
Amending Fences (Apply Party Pone Twice Daily Until Symptoms Cease)
So I liked this episode. It's a clever callback to the very beginning of the show. It's about Friendship, and it's about a thing I know has hurt me personally (losing a friend due to moving.) I was a military brat growing up, so I've lost more friends to moving than anything else except me being an insecure POS and just being too afraid to reach out to people. (Oops. Looks like you get to learn more about me than anyone really wants to know.)
Everything about this episode is what this show should be. Everyone is genuine. All the characters are likable, and it's about friendship and how people should consider others and all that good stuff. I love it.
5/5
Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep (No, they do not)
Spoiler: I'm not a huge fan of Luna. This episode challenged that in an amazing way.
We finally get a picture of Luna as a pony who carries real guilt over her past actions. Guilt strong enough to make her do something monumentally stupid. All the various dreams (omfg Dash!!!!!!! <3) are great. Pinkie fucking everything up super bad was great. Princess Big Mac was great. Everything was great. The only thing that wasn't amazing was the delivery of the aesop, but that could have taken several hours to do, so I have a hard time faulting them for that.
4/5 - best Luna episode
Canterlot Boutique (Rein in Stain)
Rarity. Why do you have the best and the worst episodes? Stop giving me so many reasons to love and hate you. Sassy can go jump off a cliff though. She is The Worst D:
I'm really, really glad that Rarity gave Sassy a second chance. Mostly because I'm kinda hoping for my own second chance lately, but also because, even without an element, she's still generosity.
3/5
Rarity Investigates! (Excuse me, I must Raridash)
Okay. So Rarity doing the detective routine is insanely cute. Changing cloths all the time is a great gag that doesn't get old. Dash's reactions to everything Rarity does fit perfectly in with both the fact that Dash is a bit of an idiot and that she's under pressure. Thinking she did it in her sleep. it's amazing.
The only thing that sucks is that Dash had to have a idol dethroned. And that hurts. A lot. I kinda want to hug her (well, I always want to hug her, but I extra-want to hug her for this.)
5/5
Made in Manehattan (The Death of Applejack's Hat)
This episode is a lot like Over A Barrel for me. I can't find anything I dislike about it, but it's a bit of a snoozer. Despite the fact I'm writing a short vignette about Rarity and Applejack in some big city right now, I didn't really remember this was a thing until I was going through episodes this season. Applejack's Hat getting mauled and Rarity just tossing it out and buying her a new one... I laugh because it killed so much S1-2 fanon about that hat. I know she now has a closet full of them, but I still find the direct implication that "it's just a hat" as one of the more harmless fanon torpedos.
3/5
Brotherhooves Social (The Cake is a Lie)
So this title was very misleading. I get what they were going for, but damn, it was unexpected. It's not as good as Sisterhooves Social was. It's a bit awkward to watch. Big Mac makes for a terrible mare, but it was kinda funny to watch. Awkward, as my son would say. It's not my favorite, but it's only real flaw is not being as good as the episode it's a callback to. I did like the way everyone knew but no one cared because Equestria is a cesspool of various -isms we have to deal with in the real world
2/5
Crusaders of the Lost Mark (Buttmarks for Everyone)
Best Songs. Best use of the fillies. Best Diamond Tiara. Best redemption episode ever. And to top it all off, the CMC get their buttmarks in helping ponies get/understand their buttmarks. I could have seriously been happy if this had been the finale. It was amazing. It's probably cracking my top 5 faves.
6/5 screw mathematical impossibilities.
The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows (Sex is totally canon)
So this episode would benefit from a B-plot or being 15 minutes instead of 22. It stretched the joke a little to far. That said, a lot of the scenes were amazing. Pinkie talking to the Rarity reflection, Shining being all swarmy and recognizing that Pinkie is about to explode due to keeping the secret, and Pinkie being too liberal with pinkie promises: these are all great moments. Sadly, the joke stretched and it's rather obvious. The scavenger hunt was a transparent time filling technique.
Mrs. Pie... What the fuck, Rarity. When did this become a thing? Is Applejack Mrs Jack or Mrs Apple? I NEED TO KNOW.
4/5 - I still like the episode though
Hearthbreakers (Applejack wins the stupid contest)
Ugh. So hard to rate. I love the Pies, but Applejack took a look at Rainbow Dash's episodes about being dumb and decided it was a challenge and went right on past Rainbow in the stupid wars. I love some of the stuff that happened during the episode, but hate everything Applejack does in it. Ugh.
1/5
Scare Master (Nightmare Night V: Fluttershy Strikes Back)
I thought I'd hate this because it's another Fluttervamp callback. Turns out, I just hate Bats so damned much, but can deal with her doing vampire shy for kicks. Yay! I love her first idea of scary. It's sad, but laughing at Fluttershy for that is too much fun. The second fright attempt was fairly obvious, but I still loved the execution. The costumes were great. ASTRO DASH!
Ultimately, the ending sold this for me. Fluttershy is good at scaring her friends, but she doesn't like it, so she's not gonna do it. I could learn a thing or six form this show sometimes.
4/5
What About Discord (Missing the Joke)
An episode about how being absent means you miss all the in-jokes. Hits a little close to home. But then I remember that gak, gak, gak, gak was an in-joke in this fandom and don't feel so bad. Not my favorite episode. In-jokes aren't funny if you miss them. The worst part is when Twilight says that being the princess of friendship means she can't get jealous. Ugh. I *hate* the thought of her thinking she's somehow more or immune to a thing because she's a princess. It's my worst fears from back after S3 about TwilightPrincess. The arrogance just feels so god damned bad.
1/5
The Cutie Re-Mark
Con: Glimmer
Pro: not about mind rape
This episode wasn't good. We spend 25 minutes or so flipping through the AU Dark section of fimfic, get some Glimmer excuses for being an absolute vile piece of shit, then a 30 second pep talk fixes everything. And, from what it looks like to me, she relents only because it literally will destroy equestria if she doesn't, not because she's being the most massively dickish dick to ever step foot in Equestria. Then she's forgiven with a song.
Fuck. I know the show is quick to forgive, but god damn. She was a way more vile pony than Discord could hope to be, and he at least had a whole episode of redemption. Not a 30 second pep talk.
Everything about Filly Dash's reactions to what was happening was amazing. The "this is way more awesome" bit was amazing. I adore it. I just wish I could like the rest of the episode.
Twilight: I don't know why my friendships are so important to the fate of Equestria.
Bitch, you had like 6-8 alternate presents shown to you staring villains you defeated with the help of your friends and you don't know why they are important?
1/5
So, you'll note that three episodes were missing. Even reading the synopsis I can't remember anything about them. Maybe someone else in the house watched them on my login. Maybe they were that forgettable. I'm going to try to rewatch and will post again if I find anything of note to say.
BONUS TMI
So. I mentioned more later about why I find Glimmer so vile and my own issues wrt Mind Control. It's a huge deal to me, that loss of self. I mean, fuck, look at how I wrote the Changeling in Who We Are. That bit about getting physically ill, it's not a thing I dreamt up for that fic.
This part is pretty hard to write. It's not just that I dislike the whole loss of self thing. I've found and liked some of the MC art on derpibooru. I hate the fact I did that and I hate that part of me that gets into that. So a lot of my reactions to episodes where ponies get mind raped into being different people just, and I'm searching for a better word but coming up blank, trigger the fuck out of me. It's an instant no button that makes me want to leave forever. Hell, considering that Bats was one of the things that made me quit watching the show before, it might actually be the thing that made me leave.
So yeah. Couple a character reflecting a dark part of myself I hate, an inability to forgive myself for that part of me, and a lot of issues dealing with emotions in a healthy manner and you have my raging hatred of Glimmer. Plus, the envy. I mean, biggest dick in Equestria gets a song and a group hug. It's a seething wall of nerd rage I'm having trouble getting past.
Welp. if you made it this far, thanks for indulging me. I'll be super excited to discuss stuff in the comments. Hopefully I can do season 6 and 7 before too long. Comics, Movie, and anything EqG are a maybe thing at some point.
I mentioned something about losing my own friendships above. I'd like to not let that happen so easily in the future. Sorry to anyone I used to talk to (Steel Resolve, I know you're on that list.) I'm not good at this friend thing and could probably use a tutoring from Princess Twilight. Or a "tutoring" ifyouknowwhatimeanandithinkyoudo :P Somethings won't change I guess.
SPECIAL BONUS REQUEST
I remember a fic from a while back. Well, not the fic. I remeber the end. Pinkie Pie literally steals the ctrl, delete, and a button from the author to ctrl+a, del the whole story, andthe author's note is written without any 'a's. Anyone know the name of that story?
I really did like "The Lost Treasure of Griffinstone". I would really like if they did another episode with Gilda, Dash, and Pinkie (and yes you need all three I think the dynamic works great using all three) but until then I will take the episodes with just Dash and Pinkie.
4697949
I can get behind this idea. And yes, I think you need Pinkie to make Gilda work well. Particularly is she's trying to maintain that attitude that ponies are lame, but it utterly unable to because Dash and Pinkie combine into a Voltron of awesomeness.
I might even be able to consider shipping in this light. The best would be, like in Cloudy's Within and Without, if Gilda is the one who slaps Dash into seeing her true feelings.
Holy Fuck, I just realized how far back Cloudy called this.
4697951
I remember that chapter well. It was one of my favorites on this site.
I remember there was another story by Charcoal Quil called "Chaos and Laughter" where Pinkie was turned into a Draconequus and had all of Equestria thinking that she had done something to Pinkie Pie and Gilda had to hep her out. It had a scene where Dash yells that " Nobody touches my Pinkie Pie, do you hear?!" and the story on the whole had some good Pinkie becoming friends with Gilda moments. Wish its potential sequel was made but oh well.
4697963
I'll have to look that up. Sounds familiar, but not sure if I ever read it.
Other than the premiere and finale, it's amazing how closely your opinions on the episodes line up with mine. :D You're not missing anything with Slice of Life, if you ask me. (But then, I think I'm the only person who was actually angered by that episode.)
4698006
Well, I was angered it exists, does that count? :P
I still want someone to explain the contagious crying. I get consoling Dash. I get feeling bad for her. I don't get...
Wait. Maybe this is foreshadowing the finale in a way. Their cutie marks connect them all, right? Maybe she's so sad it's spilling over via the newest channel for shipping into the others.
4698006
You're not. Kits -is- missing something, though.
Gummy's inner monologue.
Some interesting view points! It was also a nice reminder of the good episodes we had in season five.
Regarding your mind control issue, how does that make you feel about The Return of Harmony? It's been so long that I don't remember your original opinion on it, but if you liked it before has that changed now, or does Discord's transformations of the Mane 6 not sound the same alarms?
4698006
I don't know, ep 100 is great for a drinking game. Fanon confirmed, take a sip. Fanon broken finish the glass.
In all seriousness I liked the episode well enough but I'd have loved to have seen the draft before Hasbro told Larson to shove fan service into it like coal into the engine of a steamship.
I seem to be one of the few who like Starlight but DESPISE her backstory. Love the personality, she's basically Ragelight Sparkle if Twilight had had a shitty family and no Celestia. I can go on for hours about the similarities of Twilight and Starlight but this isn't the place and you probably don't care.
Doesn't excuse her but I can't help but like her if that makes sense.
I do agree with most of you assessments.
4698045
I disliked that part a lot. But I think that it's easier to bear, since Discord is presented as a bad guy, who remains a bad guy. He's bad. He does bad things. He's also not a pony, and yeah, that makes him easier to deal with as an outsider. I also get a vibe from him that this isn't a personal gain thing as much as "lol, trolled u" type thing.
Glimmer does the same kinda thing. Only it's kinda worse. It's not to prevent an enemy from stopping her. It's not for the good of Equestria, it's for purely selfish reasons of making herself feel important. The fact she never subjects herself to her own spell is kinda a breaking point. No one she subjects to this is "an enemy," and it doesn't actually fix her real issues. Then the end where she runs off with the 6's marks is just pure vile spite. Not the endearing kind, but just mean nastiness.
Glimmer feels far worse because she's a pony, and we are (at least I am) expected to treat ponies as we would people. She's a true monster, and she's literally forgiven and integrated into the mane cast in about 90 seconds.
I didn't watch s6 yet (well, saw premier on TV at some point, and was cajoled into watching an episode I quite liked,) but I heard a lot of people talking about it. The meta-plot of using her to take up Twilight's role within the mane 6 annoys me. Angers me even. The fact she goes and mind rapes everyone again pisses me off. I may not be able to watch that episode. I get a taste of bile thinking about it. I probably will watch it, because nothing is worse than an unknown and the writers of this show aren't nearly as depraved (in what goes on scene: no clue about their personal life) as my own terrible id can be. So I won't like it, but I'll probably watch it.
4698037
I'll find a Youtube clip.
The clips of the ep I did see, DJ P0N3 "talking" in electronica, annoyed the piss out of me way back when. I know I've gotten better about some of this type stuff, but toss is the fact I really don't give much of a shit about most of Ponyville's canon denizens, and you've got an ep I don't care about.
Now, if they did A View from the Galley, I'd watch the shit out of it.
4698045
To further expand upon this, because I'm in that kinda mood today.
I really hated Flutterbat for both this type thing as well as the whole "DO THE STARE! DO IT NOW!"
For me, The Stare was always a macrocosm of Fluttershy's character. She doesn't just do it. She does it only to protect a friend. See: Dragon Shy, Power Ponies, Hurricane Fluttershy, and the original use of The Stare in Stare Master of course.
S3e13 Had twilight accidentally mind fuck all her friends. I guess the threat that it's so incredibly easy for her to screw over her friends on such a fundament level touches this squick for me as well. I dunno if I mentioned WWA and the changeling's physical illness (I rewrote that part of the blog a dozen few times) but it's basically my own response to similar concepts. I know the guy who reviewed all the Royal Library or whatever's fics hated that part of the story too. And it kinda makes me feel bad. I don't know if I can deproblamatize the concept, even for myself. I tried and it didn't work 100%. Of course, that is still my personal favorite of what I've written.
4698051
Well, I mean good at magic, "twilight -> starlight, sparkle -> glimmer." I get a lot of the similarities. Haven't seen s6, so my opinion may change! I'd like to like her. I mean, It's not fun to hate fairly major characters in a show you love. I don't exactly *like* this feeling.
That said, I'm not sure If I can forgive her, even if the characters can. We'll see. Today, I'm talking to people and finding out that I still kinda have a place here.
Tomorrow I try to finish a stupid ship-scene and maybe post it if I can work up the courage.
Monday, I start s6 and probably an in-parallel s1+ rewatch.
Plans. I have them.
4698073
You know my opinion on EqG is not great, but look at it this way. I would be overjoyed if Celestia rescinded Sunset's banishment and replaced her with Glimmer.
4698051
As far as I know from various con panels, there *was* no early draft, so to speak. Larson wasn't really on board with the idea of the episode, but then got into it and wrote what we got. I don't believe there were many changes, though there were some things that got cut, I think.
4698065
It's kind of strange, but for me even after watching seasons 6 and (what's officially aired of) 7, I don't have a strong opinion on Glimmer. My guess is it's because she's feels more like an amalgamation of other characters than an original one. She was a compelling villain in the premier, then we find out she's just Evil Moondancer. After that she becomes Sunset Shimmer or Twilight 2.0. (One thing that I find the EqG movies do better than the show is their incorporation of 7 unique characters). I can't really hate her, because she admittedly does have good moments and the fact that she does genuinely try to be a better pony, but I can't love her because it feels like she doesn't have a strong, unique identity.
Agreed on The Stare. Her using it on command is like Pinkie Pie literally predicting the future instead of just having a Pinkie Sense.
For Who We Are (which you did mention), I can't say that I have the same reaction to those concepts, but I'd like to think I understand where you're coming from. Regardless, I think the fact that you can invoke those feelings intentionally is a good thing, no matter how awful it feels. Being able to write emotionally impactful works is awesome, but there are so few stories that affect people physically which makes the few ones that do all the more memorable.
4698109
Long time, no see :P
4698115
I'm going to give EqG another chance. I didn't like the first one and I suspect I'll still find Twilight OOC when I rewatch it. And Brad or whatever his name is can EABOD and DIAF
4698109
I remember him saying something to the effect of Hasbro telling him to add more fanservice. *shrugs* I'll just take your word for it.
4698015
To be honest, the only thing I could chalk it up to was "Mares, right?" Which is about the worst thing you could say regarding anything dealing with this show. :/
4698037
Yeah, that's worth it.
Also hey kits, Cranky and Matilda get married. If you don't care about them and you find that clip, you have no reason to watch the episode. :B
4698073
This, a lot. This is hard to communicate to people. :C
And hey, you haven't even gotten to the actual mind-control; all you see in 6-1 is good old-fashioned conditioning, no magic involved. :B
4698119
You should watch Rainbow Rocks, and know ahead of time that Twilight is the worst part of that movie. If you can make it through and embrace our lord and savior, Sunset Shimmer, you will have a reason to continue watching it. Otherwise, eh, that's pretty much as good as it gets.
4698165
I am aware of the Every Little Thing She Does, sadly. And S5E1 is more than the brain washing, it's the stealing of Cutie Marks which basically represent the essence of any particular pony. It's kinda literally the thing that makes them them and not generic pony shaped blobs that are all inter changeable.
But yeah. It took Glimmer real effort to be that shit. Discord and Twilight just kinda were *pop* and did shit. Glimmer? She took pains.
Is this Human Twilight? I thought Twilight in EqG was pony twi in the human world and then she went home? If human twi is trash, that's fine: humans are trash :< :< :<
That said, White linked me to a blog where Pinkie, Twilight, and EqG Pinkie in Equestria (so, pink horse) are all being shipped. I look forward to that not being trash.
4698165
More:
I may have the kernel of Super Lesbian part 2. Dash is up too late playing with Twilight and when she wakes up in the morning, can't find her Cutie Marks. She's supposed to put them in their case at night, but she's terrible about remembering too. So she has to ninja all over Ponyville trying to find them before others make fun of her for losing them.
Sideplot: One is stuck to sleepy twi's butt and she can't figure out why everyone is flirting with her today.
4698248
oh my god
please
Amending Fences is one of my top 5 in the series.
Rarity Investigates! and the surrounding episodes were quite great, Back when they aired it felt like 'month of Rarity!' and it was wonderful.
I loved the culmination of the CMC and Diamond Tiara character arcs we got in Crusaders of the Lost Mark, not to mention the songs.
Top 1 in the series for me is The Perfect Pear in S7, it might well be worth skipping ahead to.
4698392
I'll keep that in mind!
Oddly enough that's why I quite enjoyed this episode. The issues only arise with later appearances of Starlight Glimmer.
I don't know, Sassy pretty clearly wanted to help, she just didn't get Rarity's style. I assume because she's actually the pony equivalent of a Dark Elf (just look at her outfits, slender build, and pointier than usual ears) and she's having trouble adjusting to life on the surface. She's basically wearing a black version of a Keebler Elf outfit, I'm amazed Rarity hired her for the shop in retrospect.
4700121
Sassy seemed to want to take over. Like she felt she had to leave her mark on everything. I've dealt with too many people like this in the real world and had too many problems caused because of it to like it.
Re:glimmer. I suspect that I'll grow to tolerate her and then watch every little thing she does and rekindle all my hatred.
4700269
Well, my advocacy for enjoying Glimmer as a villain should not be taken as advocacy for the way her reform was implemented.
Sassy was hired to help run Rarity's business, she tried to run it according to what she believed the best way to run a business was, ie the job she thought she was hired to do. Unfortunately, Rarity's more of an artist than a businesswoman in some respects, since her primary goal wasn't to make money (though it was a secondary one), so they had a clash of values. It didn't strike me as self-aggrandizement, especially considering Sassy's willingness to eventually back down, just a misconception of what she was there for. You are correct that people who feel the need to change things just so they can say they've had an influence on them are quite annoying.
4701081
Oh, no. As a villain, Glimmer is (conceptually) great. I used the word vile for a reason. I just don't like the story for personal reasons. She's not a improperly conceived villain. She fucking terrifyingly vile and awful and horrid. Like Joffrey.
SS is an antagonist the likes of which I expect in MLP. The conflict is real, and the danger is real, but defanged. That's my comfort level usually for this show.
Hm. I generally agree with you, but there are some stark points of differentiation. I strongly disliked Princess Spike and Do Princess Dream... , and loved TCM and Brotherhooves Social (two of my favorites of the season, honestly).
4698392
The Perfect Pear was gorgeous. It was the only episode in the last two seasons that was truly worth anything, IMO. But it really was worth it.
Also, the fandom agrees with your assessment: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1751105/eprate?ref_=tt_eps_rhs_sm
4703220
The fandom rating the finales so highly...
i can't even
4703220
4698392
Went and watched that episode before work. I guess I can say it was good and I generally liked it, but I'm honestly surprised it's so talked up. Maybe it's 'cause I get plenty of shippin' horses from other sources, but I can't say that it was more than "very good".
Ah well. Won't be the first time I disagree with the majority.
FWIW, I totally rate Secrets and Pies above Perfect Pair. But I will freely admit to having some biases there.