Friendship is Magic Season 5 Impressions

Sorry about not posting this on time. The extra time at least allowed me to go into more detail for some of these. This is the first season I watched as at came out (up to Canterlot Boutique, anyway), and although I had seen some episode beforehand, this was my first true introduction to the show. Considering that I'm now a fan of the show, it clearly must have been a good introduction. But I'll talk about how good it was in the conclusion. Keep in mind that these are impressions, not reviews. They only contain my brief opinions and may change with later viewings (although if I've seen an episode enough times, it very likely won't change). I will not review episodes until I'm done with these impressions and I've seen every episode 3 times, and until I review them, I will not give them ratings. The last thing to mention is that I rate these episodes within the context of the show. There are very few episodes I find to be bad by all standards.

(Full reviews of episodes will be linked once they're made.)

The Cutie Map - Part 1 (2 viewings)
The Cutie Map - Part 2 (2 viewings)

This is the episode that introduced that one really controversial character! You know, that one! Anyway, this was a great episode, and another addition to the collection of great two-parters this show has (or had). It had a really unsettling tone, a refreshing down-to-earth villain, a lot of tension, and great character moments. It also makes me wish the epic season opener wasn't seemingly extinct now.

Castle Sweet Castle (1 viewing)

This a decent, if too familiar episode. Nothing about the story or message is done as well as in other media and even this show in the past, but it's good enough.

Bloom & Gloom (1 viewing)

This isn't my favorite episode of the CMC dream trilogy, but like the others, it's a great dive into Apple Bloom's head and fears. It also adds even more to Princess Luna's character. It also has really good visuals, as to be expected from these episodes.

Tanks for the Memories (2 viewings)

Initially, I thought this was a great episode hurt by a noticeable issue (that being Rainbow dodging consequences), but the more I think about this episode, the less I care. It was able to include a really good metaphor about death in a kids show while not sacrificing the plot's validity when taken at face value. It's also heartbreaking to watch, which definitely helps.

Appleoosa's Most Wanted (1 viewing)

I will say I like some aspects of the moral and half of the characters, but rest of this episode isn't particularly funny and has a story with multiple issues, mainly involving adults being stupid for the sake of the plot.

Make New Friends but Keep Discord (4+ viewings)

This episode is 22 minutes of pure fun. Discord is delightful as usual, and in fact, possibly even more so than in most appearances. It's the funniest episode of the series, to the point that it's up there with pre-movie SpongeBob at its best, which is saying a lot! It also has great characters, and while the story and message aren't especially great, they're good enough for this type of episode. It's not an episode to be analyzed, it's an episode to sit down and have fun watching.

The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone (2 viewings)

This is the first of many redemption episodes (if you don't count Magic Duel, and the show doesn't seem to, or One Bad Apple). MLP seems like it does a lot of these. Too many, in fact. However, I still loved this one because they redeemed someone who was only a jerk as opposed to someone who's pure evil. They also didn't pull a freudian excuse. And Gilda had potential for redemption in her character already, since she was once friends with Rainbow Dash. Oh, and this episode's really funny.

Slice of Life (2-3 viewings)

My first reactions to this episode were mixed. I was skeptical from when I first found out about what the episode was about, and it didn't alleviate all of my concerns. However, I liked this episode much more on repeated viewings. Each character is simple personality-wise, but has enough to carry them through their brief appearances. It also has a nice message, a solid story, and is really funny. Did I mention this episode was funny? Because it was funny.

Princess Spike (2 viewings)

Spike episodes get (or at least got) a bad rap, and although I don't think it's completely deserved (so far, anyway), I can see why. Spike's characterization and loyalty to Twilight is the best part of this episode, but if he communicated that Twilight was asleep, things probably could've gone better. It also required many contrivances in order for the story to happen, and worst of all, the moral becomes confused since Spike's well-intentioned decisions caused all of the problems, while the selfish ones didn't affect anything, despite what the episode wants you to think.

Party Pooped (1 viewing)

On one hand, this episode continues the Season 5 trend of being really funny and is visually great in terms of character expressions (also a trend of this season). However, the yaks are just one joke repeated, and the plot is all over the place.

Amending Fences (2 viewings)

An important thing in life is to acknowledge mistakes you've made and do your best to make things right again. This is part of this episodes layered lesson, and it's important to me because I have personal experience involving this very episode. As much as I hate to admit it, I disliked this episode on my initial viewing for very stupid reasons. Why? Lets refer to what I said in my April Fool's Day post:

This is an episode that focuses on friends that Twilight had before she moved to Ponyville, even though it was clearly stated that she had no friends before then. Continuity? What's that?

You may have thought that was just a joke I made up, but that was basically my reason for disliking it. I of course, hadn't seen the pilot yet because if I had, I would know her friends appeared and/or were mentioned at the beginning, and that Twilight needed to make new and real friends. And even I was right, did it really matter? I made several justifications to myself as to why it did, but in hindsight, it should've made little to no impact. If the episode's good enough, things like that shouldn't matter. I also gave Tanks for the Memories slack, so I should give this one, too.

After watching the pilot for the first time in late 2016, I rewatched this episode to discover I loved it. I now feel eternally guilty for ever having this stupid opinion, and I no longer make assumptions like that without watching the episodes myself. I can't fully right this wrong until I make the full review of this episode, but talking about it at least helps. Sorry that was so long, but I didn't want to save it for the review or give you an abridged version. Since I took enough space already, I'll just say that every great thing you heard about this episode is true, and it's one of the best episodes of the whole show.

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? (2 viewings)

The majority of this episode can be described as fun, yet sometimes uncreative and riddled with plot holes. Then the ending comes and destroys anything this episode had going for it. The decision to have Princess Luna create the Tantabus is one of, if not the worst decision made on the show for destroying Princess Luna's character and coming with too many unfortunate implications.

Canterlot Boutique (1 viewing)

This is a rather underrated Rarity episode, and my favorite of the "Rarity Episode Trilogy". The best thing about it is that it pits the artists' choice (Rarity) against business management (Sassy Saddles) and makes it clear that the former's more fulfilling without villainizing Sassy Saddles. She was just doing what she was supposed to do and what she thought would help, after all.

Scare Master (1 viewing)

For the record, this is where this episode belongs according to production order. I'm annoyed by it splitting up the Rarity Episode Trilogy, too. Anyway, this was another great and visually creative episode, and easily the best Nightmare Night episode. I also really appreciate its message, and it's another example of why Fluttershy's such a good character.

Rarity Investigates! (1 viewing)

This episode is more fun to watch than it is actually good. The mystery is solved before it even starts, yet the actual process of solving the mystery was fun. Rarity acting as a detective is great, and I like her interaction with Rainbow Dash. Also, this episode may or may not have been inspired by Turnabout Storm.

Made in Manehattan (1 viewing)

This is my least favorite of the Rarity Episode Trilogy, though I still like it. I think it has a nice moral, and the characters are mostly represented well, it's just that the plot has a few problems, such as taking too long to get going.

Brotherhooves Social (1 viewing)

This episode is the reverse of Rarity Investigates!, in that it isn't as fun to watch as it is actually good. Story-wise and character-wise, it's great, and the ending is really heartwarming. However, the humor in this episode ranges from funny to cringeworthy, and it makes this episode somewhat hard to watch, despite me acknowledging that it's a great episode.

Crusaders of the Lost Mark (2 viewings)

I'm not a fan of redemption arcs in this show. Nor am I a fan of freudian excuses in any form of media. Yet, despite its somewhat rushed pace, this episode pulled them both off. Had more time been spent on Diamond Tiara's redemption and less on the voting arc, this episode could've been one of the best episodes of the show. As it stands, this is still one of the best episodes of the season for reasons that are too long to get into here. Also, the CMC finally got their Cutie Marks. I may have only been with them for the last year of their journey, but it was still satisfying.

The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows (2 viewings)

This episode surprised me, in that I really thought I would like this episode. And I should've liked it! It's a solo Pinkie Pie episode that was based around her character and making me laugh. And while I can appreciate Pinkie Pie's character here, the story and especially the jokes fell flat. Everything (in)conveniently manages to make Pinkie think of babies, and the comedy was mostly the same cringeworthy joke repeated throughout the episode.

Hearthbreakers (1 viewing)

This is a nice episode, though it's not overly interesting. Pinkie and Maud Pie great of course, Limestone's also fun to watch due to how explosive she is, but none of the other Pies are particularly notable. The story has a few issues, but is overall good, as is the episode as a whole.

What About Discord? (2 viewings)

I have very little to say about this episode. Not because there's not much to talk about, but because I don't know what to make of it. It was an odd, occasionally funny episode with a dumb plot. At least I think it is. I watched it twice to see if I could get a solid opinion on it, and I might have one now? I don't know. Three viewings might not be enough to review this one.

The Hooffields and the McColts (1 viewing)

I don't really have very many issues with this episode, but I don't like that much about it either. The story is nothing special, the characters are portrayed fine enough, but there's not much to bring me back to this one.

The Mane Attraction (1 viewing)

The story and moral of this episode are your typical "be yourself" message that's been done to death. It may not add anything new there, but this episode has the advantage of Coloratura being one of the best one-shot characters of the show. Despite clearly going down the wrong path in terms of what music she wanted to make, she still acted like her old self stuck in this situation without even realizing there's a problem, despite how easy it would've been to have her completely change and be stuck-up.

The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 1 (2 viewings)
The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2 (2 viewings)

While I failed to watch most episodes when they aired after Canterlot Boutique, I did see this one (and Crusaders of the Lost Mark) the day they aired. As a result, I got to experience the single most disappointing episode of the entire series firsthand. Considering how good of a track record two-parters had in the past, this should've been great. Instead, we got time travel plot-holes. Lots of them. But worst of all, we had a redemption arc botched so badly that it makes me view the type of arc itself negatively. Starlight Glimmer [was] the worst character in the show because of this. Yes, you enslaved a town and went back in time to prevent the Mane 6 from getting their Cutie Marks, and even after you found out how that affected Equestria, you still didn't care. But it's okay because your friend got his Cutie Mark before you did, left you, and you felt sad! Except that it isn't. At all. Starlight Glimmer's overreaction only showcases her as mentally unstable and evil, and the fact that she got off with any punishment lesser than banishment to the sun is insulting.

Season 5

Season 5 is the best of the three seasons I've seen every episode of (1, 5, and 6), and while the second half was great too, it was mainly due to an incredibly strong first half. This is also probably the funniest season (at least so far). It just has the most good episodes and the best episodes, especially when compared to Season 1's good episodes. However, it's held back by a particularly bad season finale, and since it's a two-part, hurts the season more than a single episode would. It's also worth mentioning that redemptions became a repeated element in this season. It may have worked more often than not, but I'm still not a fan of it. Despite this issues, though, I still find this to be a really good season, and not just because it was the one that I started with. My Season 6 impressions will be out by the end of the month.

(I think I might need a thesaurus. I used the word "great" a lot.)