Shadow Play

Friendship is Magic first impressions review: Shadow Play (s07e25-26)
by Obake

(SPOILERS!)

Shadow Play is incredibly messy, and leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Despite this, there are still elements to like. Such as the original six, also known as the Pillars. Remember all the ancient heroes brought up in season 7? They are not merely legends; they (alongside Starswirled) created the elements of harmony, before banishing themselves to Limbo to trap the Pony of Shadows.

Sound familiar? The Pony of Shadows was introduced all the way back in Castle Mane-ia (s04e02) A theory is that it was originally meant to be an embodiment of Nightmare Moon's evil magic that survived her banishment (Mane-ia ends omniously on a dark figure), and that it was going to be the antagonist of Twilight's Kingdom. For whatever reason, be it troubled production or executive meddling, it got scrapped in favor or Tirek.

Three seasons later, the writers dug up its bones, gave it a new identity (which makes no sense in terms of season 4's continuity), and plopped it into Shadow Play. The Pony of Shadows is indeed the special's biggest weakness. For a villain who Starwswirled himself was unable to defeat, it leaves little impression. That it has such a wimpy back story hurts, too.

The unicorn behind the Pony of Shadows, Stygian, went berserk over a misunderstanding, with little explanation how he became a demon. Though the Pony of Shadows does show some powers in using laser beams and shooting spikes, there is never really the sense it (or he) is much of a threat. Think of Tirek, Discord, Starlight, etc. They all left an impression. Their effects on the world were obvious, and made them scary. Stygian? I guess he wants to create darkness (he gains power in dark places.)

The obvious comparison is Nightmare Moon. Shadow Play takes a lot from the series pilot, and although I enjoyed this episode in its brazenness, it is impossible not to compare the two. Both have openings narrated from a book (in the case of Play, it is Sunburst reading from Starswirled's journal.) Both have a villain born from envy, which want to bring darkness. While the series's pilot is not exempt from criticism, it is a lot more sound. Yes, Nightmare Moon's back story is nothing great, and Luna's redemption is incredibly quick. But given that it was the series pilot, it can be more easily forgiven. Plus, it did not have to worry about stumbling over already established continuity.

Upon learning of the Pillars fate (which had been unknown for thousands of years), Twilight and friends decide to reopen the portal to Limbo and free them. Of course, this also unleashes the Pony of Shadows. Thus the mane six and the original six join together.

Part of what I like about this special is its scope. There are fifteen characters to follow (the mane and original six, Spike, Starlight, and Sunburst), all as a Shining Force-sized time. Sure, not all contribute much, but they each get at least a few lines. I am in no way saying every special needs to have this many characters, but it is nice for the show to do it at least once.

The best part, however, is before then, in a scene where Dash and Spike go to retrieve Flash Magnus's shield. Each of the Mane 6 (except Twilight) are called to retrieve artifacts once owned by the original six. Spike and Dash head to the mountains and encounter Garble, who is still ticked off at the events of Gauntlet of Fire. Spike ends up (inadvertently) defeating him in a lava surfing race, and when Garble is still unwilling to give up the shield, Dash uses her wits to dupe him. It is a really fun sequence that showcases the strengths of the characters.

As for the rest of the item-finding scenes, well...they are covered in the extras portion. Besides the one already mentioned, these scenes are just filler. They could be cut from the episode and it would be just fine, if not better paced.

I know some take issue that these original six are brought out of another dimension to the present. While I agree it could have been executed better, I cannot say the idea is completely unsound. It is heroic for Starswirled and the gang to have sacrificed themselves to trap the Pony of Shadows, awaiting a day when magic would be advanced enough to destroy it. I still feel the villain is what most lets it down. Without showing the actual effects he has on the world, without making him stand out in terms of power, you ask “This is the ancient evil they've waited a millennium to defeat?”

I would argue that the biggest mistake with continuity is making the Pony of Shadows redeemable. As evidenced by season 4, the idea of the villain was to be an amalgamation of evil, which makes sense given the name. While Stygian's redemption is better laid out than Starlight's, it is still another example of the same old.

The other big issue with the episode is the cop-out ending. The Pillars and the Mane cast defeat the Pony of Shadows and redeem Stygian, and get to stay in the present. I can see why the majority of them would want to travel to their previous homes and see how the world has changed. But Starswirled, who is revealed to have been Celestia and Luna's teacher, decides not to stay in Canterlot, but instead explore the world. No sense in catching up with former students who are now leaders of the country, eh?

I know how many problems I have been listing, and while I cannot say Shadow Play is good I can say it is at least entertaining. Maybe I am being nicer to it, too, because compared to season 5 and 6's finales, it does not have any one scene that feels so irredeemably terrible. Instead, it has a lot of small hiccups. Consider it a guilty pleasure.

Extra notes:

• I believe the absolute surest way this special could have been fixed would been to have made it a retelling of one of Starswirled's accounts. Perhaps read by Twilight.
• A refresher on the Pillars: Somnambula (stood up against the sphinx), Meadowbrook (cured Swamp Fever), Flash Magnus (outwitted dragons), Mistmane (sacrificed her beauty to spread light to others), and Rockhoof (saved his village from lava).
• The journal at the end of Uncommon Bond is one of Starswirled's lost journals. It begs the question how it got to be in the antiques shop, and why Celestia and Luna never seemed too bothered trying to find it beforehand.
• The episode starts with an unintentional laugh, listing the ancient version of Twilight's element as sorcery. Ancient wording is often weird, but sorcery sounds like a parody word.
• Celestia is unable to read Starswirled's journal due to her “Old ponish being rusty.” Okay.
• There are a lot of contrivances here, mostly with the Cutie map pointing everywhere the cast needs to go. Some of it is used humorously, such as characters saying research will take years only for someone to immediately find an answer. Other times it is simply lazy.
• Remember the item-quests? Most are not worth mentioning, asides that Fluttershy meeting Cattail and saving animals is cute, and that the nukage from the pyramid in Daring Done is apparently non-toxic. There is, however, Applejack's scene, egad. She goes to find Rockhoof's shovel, and in a series of events, saves a group of ponies from a giant rock. What is perplexing is the pacing and editing. In one shot, she is keeping the rock from falling with her back hooves, and in the very next she flings it across a mountain with her front hooves. I understand as a cartoon, there is allowed to be odd logic, but the action is so jarring that I actually had to pause the episode to comprehend what had even happened.
• Indiana Jones makes an appearance as a pony. A filly nearby with a blue coat and white bangs is probably a reference, too, though I am not sure to what.
• Warning: partial movie spoiler! Twilight mentions a book on seapony etiquette. Wonder if that was written before the movie, as the seaponies there hid from society?
• The mane 6 do research in Twilight's library, again. I wonder when any of them will realize that Ponyville's books are never up to date on anything (except for getting rid of Pinkie clones.) That said, I do like Applejack going cross-eyed when she says “cross referencing.”
• I am also amused by her line on how what used to be the Appalachian Wasteland is now a popular square-dancing location.
• I still do not get the relationship between Starswirled and the two sisters. Celestia and Luna were his students? I thought it was the other way around. This is what happens when a show with a complex fantasy world goes on so long.
• The flashback of the original six saving a village from siren-like creatures is quite exciting. I dig the Looney-Tunes shenanigans, especially the filly getting crushed with the bell. This again reinforces my point that perhaps the episode should have been a retelling of a past event.
• The Pillars seem fairly unfazed to be a 1000 years in the future. Perhaps they will have their own Luna Eclipsed. Or, knowing how things go, they will never be seen or referenced again.