The Mean Six Review · 4:40pm Jun 9th, 2018
Well, it's time for the mid season finale, again. Hey, at least this time we had no interruptions and it makes sense to stop here. The last time we had the show run in June and July, the schedule was so wonky that it was easy to forget there were episodes on, and I imagine the target audience had less interest. This episode actually got leaked twice, once without the background audio and then a few days ago it was aired in the U.K. on Tinypop (which aired the last three episodes of Season 6 early). We already knew going into this episode that Michael Vogel would be penning it. He used to be vice president of Hasbro, but outside of "A Hearth's Warming Tale" and "Every Little Thing She Does" he's mostly been a collaborative writer. This season he worked alongside Nicole Dubac and Josh Haber for "School Daze" the season premiere that so far hasn't amounted to much outside of two extremely bad episodes. So, was Mike able to finish off the first half of Season 8 decently? Or did he just produce a dud? Well, let's find out.
We begin with a scene teased in animatic form, a photographer from the Canterlot Historical Society shows up to snap pictures of each of the mane six and pull out a hair from each of their manes. She also takes a picture of Starlight after Pinkie reminds her, but the photographer turns out to be Queen Chrysalis in disguise. Using the hairs, the photos, and her magic, she creates clones of the mane six. Her plan for revenge on Starlight, is to find the Elements of Harmony, harness them, and take Starlight's friends away from her while she watches. Not a bad plan, but when the episode admits that she's doing this to get back at Starlight, and she reveals that she's learned not to underestimate her opponents, it makes little sense for her to not target Starlight directly. Like say, kidnapping her or using the changeling clones to trick her into taking them to the Elements of Harmony. And the clones basically just act like the mane six when Discorded back in "The Return of Harmony".
Meanwhile, the girls all go on a camping retreat together to get away from the school, much to Starlight's displeasure as she isn't a camper. Twilight has also planned out some activities along the way, ending with them camping by the Tree of Harmony (but not the Castle of the Two Sisters where the Elements of Harmony actually found their bearers, just another example of the writers forgetting about that old castle. Apparently, if not for Hasbro, it would've been Twilight's new castle at the end of Season 4).
Chrysalis has trouble keeping the clones under control, and then Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy wander off on their own because potatoes (to be fair, Fluttershy wanders off to return a baby bird to its nest, but even then she doesn't think to alert any of her friends so they don't leave her behind. Pinkie Pie just races ahead because she can). Surprise surprise, they get lost. Pinkie bumps into the Twilight clone and tells her about the location of the tree, and Fluttershy meets the Rainbow Dash clone who just leaves her when she's lost. Twilight and the others (including Starlight, who is now a packmule. Worth mentioning is that Spike does not appear at all in this episode or gets mentioned. The best I can come up with is that he's still getting used to his new wings and volunteered to run the school in Twilight's absence) split off to go look for them. And they all run into the rest of the clones (Twilight meets the Pinkie Pie clone, Rarity and Starlight meet the Applejack clone, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash meet the Rarity clone). But the most we get out of this is the Fluttershy clone disturbing the nest and causing the animals to turn on the real Fluttershy. And Pinkie getting upset with the Twilight clone when she snaps at Fluttershy for crying. The confrontation between the three real versions of them feel rushed and contrived though.
Eventually, the clones are reunited as Chrysalis asserts her authority (and the clones become in desperate need of a safe word), but the arguments stirred up by them for the real ponies just get hastily resolved with a friendship speech from Twilight. The clone Twilight plots to pull a Starscream and ursper Chrysalis, using the Elements of Harmony (despite there being no indication that the clones could use them, and the Season 7 finale seems to indicate they are attuned to the virtues present in their bearers, which the clones do not display). She does so, only for the Tree of Harmony to catch them, pull them back, and turn them into colored wood.
Chrysalis flies off, still vowing to get her revenge on Starlight (having been reduced to the level of an 80's cartoon villain, a sad decay from a once semi-competent and threatening villain), while the mane six and Starlight find the campsite in ruins but decide to fix it up and share a laugh when Pinkie comments that today was the worst day ever.
And that's the story, so what do I think of the episode? It's a waste of a very promising concept, it feels like they forgot about Chrysalis' revenge and then decided for whatever reason to throw into this season despite already teasing a reoccurring villain already (as opposed to saving her for the next and likely final season). And in doing so, they just reduced Chrysalis down to the point where she's no threat to anyone, and can't even control her own minions. The plot is very paper thin, not a whole lot really happens. And the clone six, well they're just a rehash of a concept from "The Return of Harmony", with only the Twilight clone feeling unique. And even then she gets reduced to the Starscream expy by the end, and I'm talking the G1 Starscream, even the Animated version of him at least had some claim to fame.
It wouldn't surprise me if this was at one point going to be either the premiere or the finale for Season 8, but Hasbro mandated that the school theme take center stage. So rather than shelve this concept for a later date (because Hasbro still won't let non premieres and finales get the two parter treatment), Michael probably decided to just get it out of the way before he forgot about it. But in doing so, we got an episode that is both very pressed for time and doesn't really have much of anything going for it. Could you imagine how great it would've been if the clones had succeeded in defeating Chrysalis and then ran off? Or why not have the mane six discover Chrysalis' ruse and that be what does her in? Instead, from what could be her last appearance in the entire series, Chrysalis goes out with a whimper and not a bang. Same can be said for this episode. In the end, I give it a C-, putting it above "Grannies Gone Wild" which was pointless, but below "The Parent Map" which despite a lot of questionable moments and a hasty resolution, had more thought to it (they likely realized the initial plot with Firelight and Stellar Flare wouldn't hold an episode and dumped it, but they either didn't have the time or didn't care enough to rewrite the episode to completely remove it).
Well, the first half of Season 8 has come and gone. So expect a couple of blogs over the next few days. First up is a look at how the first half stalks up overall and how it compares to other seasons. It'll be out soon.
Hey, it wasn't too bad, at least Chrysalis tried something different. It didn't work, but it was a nice attempt. I just wish the Elements of Harmony could be destroyed. XD
I found this episode to be pretty hilarious.
To me it seems like chrysilsis will have to team up with the mane 6 Starlight and the new evolved changelings to fight the mean 6. And starlight is the key. There is a season 4 character return for season 8 finale
I was honestly quite disappointed. I was hoping that the Mane 6 would at least encounter Chrysalis and have some kind of fight with their clones.
I mean, the friendship speech was good and all, that I will give them credit for, but other than that? It didn't settle right with me.
I give this episode a 2/5.
Yeah. I DO see your points.
Particularly the one where this SHOULD have 1. been a two-parter (maybe cutting out "Marks For Effort" entirely in order to MAKE room for it to be a two-parter. 2. Had Chrysalis and the clones (all as a collective group), waiting until one or two of the Mane Six leaves the group to handle some chore or another and THEN overpower the ones that broke off from the group when Chrysalis and the clones had both the numbers advantage AND the element of surprise. 3. Once ALL of the Mane Six have been captured, Chrysalis and the clones then attack Starlight en masse and win (which would end part one). Then part 2 would show the Mane Six and Starlight in a comically over-the-top death trap that Chrysalis obviously spent more than a year working on (an over-sized homage to Ratigan's trap in "the Great Mouse Detective") and then subvert Bond Villain Stupidity by actually sticking around to try to MAKE SURE the heroes are finished. The Mane Six and Starlight, working as a team, manage to escape Chrysalis's trap despite Chrysalis and the clones' attempts to stop them. Then some of the stuff you mentioned could have happened.
Or you could come up with something much better (and I would not be surprised if you did).
Did the Season's Mid Season Finale end on a high note? Far From it.
Does Nega-Twi actually scare me? .... maybe a little.
Is Chrysalis losing her Tactical Genius edge? Very much so in this episode.
Would I watch the episode again?......................... not likely.
Do I think Spike should have come along? YES!!! WHY DID THEY LEAVE HIM BEHIND?!!!!!
Was there anything entertaining about the episode? Chrysalis's line about "Grubsitting" was funny. Grubsitting is officially canon now.
Would Discord be proud? I'm not sure. Though I wonder if he didn't have a hoof, er, claw, er talon, er, WHATEVER! in it.
And *I hear a snort and feel hot breath on my neck, before turning around to see Chrysalis.* Um. Oh Look, the Princess of Love in a singlet swimsuit. *Zooms off with Chrysalis in hot pursuit.* EEEHEHEHEHEHE!!! NO NO!!! NO NO DON'T KILL ME!!! DON'T KILL ME!!! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME-HE-HE!!! I'M JUST A BOY!!! Theoretically! I'M NOT READY TO DIE!!!!
4879567 I think this should've been worked into the premiere. Why not have the students' disappearance be tied to Chrysalis, instead of just them disappearing of their own free will? The leaders would have more of a reason to blame Equestria and be furious that their students were kidnapped, which could also explain why Thorax is worried about an international incident since Chrysalis would still be a reflection of his kind. And instead of Twilight being the one who gets depressed, Starlight could hit the Heroic B.S.O.D trope thinking that Chrysalis did this to get to her, with Twilight convincing Starlight not to pursue Chrysalis alone. The student six could bond in captivity and work together to escape from Chrysalis, thus prompting her to take revenge. And then that could be tied into the possibilities with Cozy Glow, Neighsay, and "School Raze", depending on how that plays out in canon.
4879956
Yeah. THAT would be MUCH better.
4879956
Why stop there?
Why not have the main six blame each other for either letting the students go missing or out on their own in the woods.
You could have the mane six, starlight and the student six sing the equestria's version of "Billy Joe McGruffey"
how about you could have the mean six manipulate the student six and trick them.
Maybe have the mean six personalities like the characters from the total drama series
HAVE SPIKE THE DRAGON!!!!!!