My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Season 8 Episode 8: "The Parent Map" (SPOILERS) · 4:07pm May 5th, 2018
In which Starlight and Sunburst go home for the first time in forever.
The Crystal Empire Postpony officially hates delivering mail to Sunburst. Yet, he must, for Sunburst has received "another" letter from Sire's Hollow--one which he completely ignores.
While he's busy ignoring his mail, Sunburst's Cutie Mark starts glowing. He gets so excited he starts prancing like a dork. When he arrives in Ponyville, he finds out Starlight's also been summoned by the map--but is decidedly less excited about it than he is. Then he finds out why--the map's calling them to their home village of Sire's Hollow. Neither of them are enthused about going home--and we find out that Sunburst has been ignoring his mom's letters on purpose because she's kind of a nag. (Has...has he not just not told her that he has a very high-ranking government job in the Crystal Empire now?)
When they get to Sire's Hollow, they discover their sleepy little village has expanded into a modern, bustling town, and the only things they remember from their childhood--like the bookstore--have been declared historic landmarks and off-limits to visitors.
Starlight's dad Firelight is preserving half the town as historic landmarks, while Sunburst's mom Stellar Flare is busy turning the other half of Sire's Hollow into a gaudy tourist trap. They're completely at odds with each other.
When Starlight tells the two parents that they're home on a mission, both parents realize that if they deliberately, stubbornly refuse to compromise, their children won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Still, Sunburst and Starlight do their thing, and their parents...kindasorta compromise? But it doesn't solve the friendship problem. Sunburst and Starlight are no longer sure why they're there at all, and their parents decide to meddle.
By this point, it should be obvious: the "friendship problem" is reconciling Sunburst and Starlight with their INCREDIBLY obnoxious parents. Starlight's dad treats her like a little filly, and Sunburst's mom nags him incessantly.
Finally, Starlight and Sunburst have had it, and hold a clandestine meeting with some of the townsponies to try to figure out what friendship problem they're trying to solve without the parents interfering. Only, this doesn't work. Eventually, both Starlight and Sunburst reach a breaking point and yell at their parents. After telling their parents off and sending them both away upset, Starlight and Sunburst finally realize that their broken relationships with their parents are the friendship problem, and go off to make up with them.
I...think maybe it's a bit too soon to do another episode so similar to Parental Glideance? Also, this episode was frankly slow, boring, and obnoxious. I'm not saying it's a bad episode, I'm just saying it's definitely in the bottom tier. 5/10.
I personally loved every single second of the episode.
I never once found it boring, or dull, and certainly not obnoxious.
It's EASILY my second favorite episode of the entire series, and was even my favorite for a brief period of time,until I rewatched Crusaders of the Lost Mark.
I'd give it a 100/10
Parents, for the better or worst, will always be parents.
Also nice room Starlight.
I'm just waiting patiently for a screen cap of Starlight's room.
Loved this episode personally, some great character interactions and was just alot of fun.
4854125
https://derpibooru.org/1724866
4854126
Thanks.
Oh man that's amazing, she even has a little bat-winged Alicorn plushie.
I wouldn't put these parents on the same level as Bow and Windy, or even Fluttershy and Rarity's parents. At least these two have something of an excuse in that they're probably single parents.
And oh boy, I know a certain part of the fandom that's gonna have a field day with Firelight's treatment of Starlight.
4854126
Why does she have ski boots, and where did the crystals come from?
Anywho, liberated from the desire to watch good things happen to either of these ponies, I had a swell time with this episode that made them suffer. Also for the parents being completely in the right. Starlight is living a child's charmed life right now, with no need to pay rent, taxes, or for food, and being infantilized on a fairly regular basis (though it is interesting to see why she reacts the way she does when Twilight overdoes it in No Second Prances). Sunburst had no prospects at all until he lucked into an opportunity, and continues to think he doesn't deserve his successes - because he doesn't.
The moral of the story was stupid. Sometimes there are actual reasons to not continue a relationship with your parent
It was too obvious
The Cutie Map knows no bounds
If you so much as show up on screen, the cutie map will call you
I'mma try not to ship it but, I'mma ship it
4854315
Clarification, please?
4854344
Ah, okay. Well, this episode doesn't actually invalidate that response with a bit of further thought. If she was a latch-key kid, then her parents might have overcompensated on treating her like a kid when they were around. Maybe even more so, what with Starlight leaving her behind when he got his cutie mark, leaving her effectively friendless.
Not like there aren't plenty of RL examples of that sort of behavior from parents, after all.
4854321
They ran off together and they're living it up in Alpacapulco.
4854411
I would be appalled if I didn't sympathize with them wanting to escape their spouses.
No, the real question is, why does she have only two boots?
I can sympathize with this episode, as many of us can. Adult relationships with our parents are fraught with difficulties, even among those of us who get along well with our folks. From both points of view, it can be hard to see the other as they are, and not as they were. It's sad, but I understand why some people cut off all ties with their folks.
I only watched this episode because I was awake early to see last weeks today.
Yeah Sunburst I have no problem with. I totally get his relationship with his mom... and I kinda simpathized with the Starlight as my parents have put on the rose colored glasses since I moved out about how living with them was. I still can't stand her though. I was planning on skipping the episode and I wish I had.
All of a sudden Starlight wanting to be a cult leader makes sense.
4854185
It's a map created from the tree of harmony. It's purpose is to alert Twilight when harmony is in flux Ie a friendship problem. I guess my problem is that Twilight is sort of just a keeper of the map rather than the map alerting her of a friendship problem and her determining who would be best suited to solving it. Honestly sometimes being a princess just feels like an empty title in this show.
4854119
New evidence to my theory that Aria is a descendant of Aria Blaze before she was banished.Do Sirens have pony forms or does it work in EQG where they weren't just physically the sirens they could summon siren projections like Personas.
it seems like most people are in agreement with me- that this was a flipping amazing episode. the other folks who blog about the episodes both mentioned parental issues, and i have some as well. maybe enjoyment of this episode is predicated on having obnoxious parents?
4854777
I doubt it, but maybe? I was raised by two grandmothers, my mom died when I was six and she divorced my dad when I was a baby, so...yeah...
I can see how it's similar to Parental Glideance, and I can see where it slightly differs from it, but I thought this episode was somewhat decent.