Season 8 Retrospective · 5:05pm Oct 13th, 2018
Warning: Season-wide spoilers abound. Proceed with caution.
Welp, that was fun, huh? I know for most of you, the season ended earlier thanks to the Australian broadcast, but I didn't have the luxury of checking that out. Also, I'd rather do things by the book.
So, seeing as the theme of this season was school, I figured it would be fitting to give it a report card to show how much it managed to achieve. Follow me below the break and see my final grade.
Episode 1 and 2: School Daze
An excellent setup for the new status quo of the show. The Student Six were especially a delight. Points off for blindly assuming that everyone had seen the movie, though. A-.
Episode 3: The Maud Couple
Perhaps a bit too contingent on the audience's perception of Maud's new beau, Mud Briar. Personally, I thought he was alright. Plus, Pinkie's antics were still quite fun. B+.
Episode 4: Fake It 'til You Make It
A stirring performance from Andrea Libeman, only undercut by losing the thread in the second act. There was no transition between Fluttershy playing three Manehattenite salesponies and three Manehattenite jerks. She's running a business, not starring in Whose Line Is It, Anyway?. B-.
Episode 5: Grannies Gone Wild
Watching Rainbow Dash stumble over herself to follow Applejack's rules simply because AJ is an overprotective control freak was a delight. I'm still convinced that Applejack wanted to teach RD a lesson about shirking her responsibility, but it ultimately backfired. A.
Episode 6: Surf and/or Turf
A Crusader Map episode that's well-executed and has warmed me up to Equestria's version of the hippogriffs. Although I still wish they were a crossbreed between ponies and griffons like their actual mythological counterparts. A-.
Episode 7: Horse Play
A Celestia episode showcasing the Sun Princess's flaws? And it's a hilarious romp? Well, I'm sold. It felt bizarre at times, but not unbearably so. A.
Episode 8: The Parent Map
This is basically Parental Glidance done right, and Ioved Parental Glidance. Starlight and Sunburst having to tell their parents to stop being overbearing while still letting them know that they're loved is a great lesson, and the episode itself was a lot of fun. A+.
Episode 9: Non-Compete Clause
First instance I can think of a "so bad it's good" episode on this show, but that's not exactly something to be proud of. It was a complete rehash of Fall Weather Friends, and AJ and RD should both know better by now. Only enjoyment was watching how many hilarious ways they could fail. C-.
Episode 10: The Break Up Breakdown
Funny Discord antics combined with lessons on clear communication make for a delightful Hearts and Hooves Day romp. A.
Episode 11: Molt Down
A stirring puberty episode that handles the subject with the grace and maturity I'd expect from this show. Plus, Spike having wings is a great step forward for him. A+.
Episode 12: Marks for Effort
It's Crusader childish antics with a more mature twist. The introduction of Cozy Glow was subtle, but profound in hindsight. Normally, I'd deduct points for making her that kind of villain (you know the type), but I'll keep it fair by judging each episode by their own merits. B+.
Episode 13: The Mean Six
Chrysalis going cuckoo while she tries to rein in the Discorded Mean Six? What's there not to like? Hilarious fun. A+.
Episode 18 (premiering early at a convention): Yakity-Sax
Not a great return to form after the hiatus. By avoiding making it a rehash of Horse Play, the writers lost the thread entirely. Depressed!Pinkie's return was shoehorned fan service, the comedy around the yuvidiphone fell flat, and most importantly, we don't know why Pinkie's happiness was contingent on that dang thing. Very poor. F.
Episode 14: Matter of Principals
Many see this as Discord backsliding, but I see this as Discord just being a trickster and forcing everyone to guess what he's thinking rather than directly saying it. A lot of fun, but the resolution did feel a bit muddled. B.
Episode 15: The Heart's Warming Club
A Student Six episode that fleshes out our new characters quite nicely, especially Gallus. Also, Ocellus continues to be adorable. A+.
Episode 16: Friendship University
Besides setting the stage for events to come and an interesting moral grey area to explore for Twilight, not much to say about this one. Just further proof that some ponies just never learn their lesson. B.
Episode 17: The End in Friend
Look Before You Sleep with RD in place of AJ, and surprisingly, it still works, even this late into the series. Some parts felt a bit forced, but nothing really felt like a dealbreaker for me. A-.
Episode 19: On the Road to Friendship
A delightful buddy road trip with one of the best songs in the season. Points off for the Saddle Arabian gentlecolt having unclear motives. A-.
Episode 20: The Washouts
I know many will disagree, but I think this was the best thing they could've done with Lightning Dust. Also a good moral about letting your kids be who they are, but know what they're doing. A.
Episode 21: A Rockhoof and a Hard Place
An stirring and emotional piece about how there is still a place for those who think they're stuck in the past. Rockhoof's dilemma felt palpable and relatable, especially when he essentially contemplated suicide.
...
Man, this show can get dark sometimes. Anyway, A+.
Episode 22: What Lies Beneath
Another great Student Six episode that explores their deepest fears. Also decent foreshadowing with Cozy Glow. A+.
Episode 23: Sounds of Silence
Great world-building, Autumn Blaze being an excellent addition to the cast, and another great song. Points off for recycling a map pair that's already been done, though. A.
Episode 24: Father Knows Beast
They gave the game away too soon. It wasn't terrible, but it was easy to catch on to Sludge's deception. B-.
Episode 25 and 26: School Raze
A solid finale that truly ramped up the tension and suspense. You really had no idea how our heroes would get out of this mess until the very end. Points off for Cozy Glow being that type of villain, as well as being more vague about her backstory than Starlight Glimmer. Well, as I always say, fanfiction writers will always be there to fill in the gaps. A-.
So, total GPA for this season calculates roughly to a 3.5 (with a slight margin for error, as I've never had to calculate grades like this before 
). Excellent work, DHX. See you in Season 9.
This is my personal favorite season so far, with my favorite unreformed villain in the form of Cozy Glow.
Non-Complete Clause has pretty much become the designated "episode I like more than most".
It's not great, but I'd watch it over several other episodes.
Heck, I'd watch it over Horse Play, which seems to be this season's "episode I don't enjoy as much as others".
You're WAY too generous with this season.
4952546
Again, I fully admit my math might be off. But I stand by my descriptions.
I'm far less positive about this season as a whole but I think that Yakity sax was indeed the worst of all.
Wow, you are a really lenient grader. You didn’t have a problem with all the plot holes in the finale?
4952592
Some, most notably the lack of backstory with Cozy Glow. But it didn't diminish the experience for me.
4952608
Lack of backstory isn't a plot hole. It is merely missing information - there is no contradiction implied by its absence.
It is also unnecessary information. We know what we need to know about Cozy: that she is power-hungry, that she has embraced her society's path to power without internalizing its humanistic values, that she sought out and found a source of information about how to render her kind of power the only kind, and that she was myopic enough to not understand that the world would fall apart if she had her way, prompting people who quite like the world to oppose her.
4952683
I suppose you're right. I still want to know what made her the way she was. Though like I said, I guess that's what fanfiction is for.