Ranking the Celebrity Episodes (From Worst to Best) · 3:09pm Mar 11th, 2019
Ever since Season 2 we've had at least one episode a season (aside from Season 3 when John DeLancie returned as Discord) featuring a new celebrity guest character for a total of seven (though two appeared in one episode). If you're interested you can see how the celebrity characters themselves stack up by clicking here.
But today we're going to be ranking all the episodes a celebrity character appeared in, and considering we're counting Discord there's going to have to be a special rule just for him. You'll see what that is when we get to him, but we ultimately have 6 episodes to consider. The same disclaimers as usual apply.
6. Sounds of Silence (Season 8, Episode 23)
Why it's on the bottom: Again, I don't hate Autumn Blaze at all but to me she's just a very lazy celebrity character. She's very in your face and the only one who actually gets to do anything the entire episode. I'd expect modern Simpsons to be this lazy with their celebrity guest stars, but not a show like this. And I suspect it has something to do with the song "A Kirin's Tale" being written by Michael Vogel and Nicole Dubac, but the episode itself wasn't written by them. Considering Nicole wrote "School Daze, Part 1" but Josh Haber took over for "School Daze, Part 2" it wouldn't surprise me if Nicole got booted and they had to bring in a new writer last minute for this episode, giving him just the song to work with.
5. The Discord Episodes: The Return of Harmony, Keep Calm and Flutter On, Princess Twilight Sparkle Parts 1 and 2, Three's A Crowd, Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 and 2, Make New Friends But Keep Discord, What About Discord?, Dungeons & Discords, To Where and Back Again Parts 1 and 2, Discordant Harmony, The Break Up Break Down, A Matter of Principals (Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2, Season 3, Episode 10, Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2, Season 4, Episode 11, Season 4, Episodes 25 and 26, Season 5, Episode 7, Season 5, Episode 22, Season 6, Episode 18 in production order/17 in airdate, Season 6, Episodes 25 and 26, Season 7, Episode 12, Season 8, Episode 10, Season 8, Episode 14 in production order/15 in airdate)
Why they're all together: If I tried to include every Discord episode individually he'd take up almost the entire list and drown out all the competition. So I want to be fair and give the other celebrity focused episodes a chance to shine. There's a definite wide range of quality here, with some episodes being among the best of the show and others being some of the lowest of lows. I know it's not John DeLancie's fault, he can only work with what he's given. Maybe if his recent outings hadn't left a bad taste in my mouth, his overall appearances would be more positive and thus would be higher on the list.
4. Stranger Than Fanfiction (Season 6, Episode 14 in production order/13 in airdate)
Why it's in the bottom half: Quibble Pants is a terrific guest star character, there's no denying that. But the episode itself is much more about dealing with fans and fan criticism, with Quibble Pants being along for the ride. He plays off of Rainbow Dash and even Daring Do well, and there's no denying his popularity. Ultimately though, in terms of being a celebrity focused episode, Quibble Pants kind of takes a back seat at times.
3. The Perfect Pear (Season 7, Episode 13)
Why it's in the top half: Two celebrity appearances for the price of one, we have Grand Pear voiced by William Shanter and Pear Butter a.k.a Buttercup voiced by Felicia Day. Both do a fantastic job with their given roles, though William Shanter definitely commands more attention considering his bigger name brand recognition. The focus is much more on the Apple family's parents though, particularly on how Pear Butter and Bright Macintosh fell in love. In that regard it's a shared spotlight and both do a fine job.
2. The Mane Attraction (Season 5, Episode 24)
Why it's not on the top: Countess Coloratura a.k.a Rara is a definite celebrity character from the moment we're introduced to her, though again she ends up being upstaged by Svengallop who gets more screen time and more of a presence. It's a cautionary tale about the price of fame and fortune, and those who will try to take advantage of your natural talents. It's a little on the optimistic side with its message, particularly in how easily Rara is accepted despite her changed persona and performance. But for a show like this optimism is not a bad thing.
1. Pinkie Pride (Season 4, Episode 12)
Why it's on the top: When Cheese Sandwich was easily the best guest star the show has ever had in my book, it was never really a contest as to where his episode would end up. This is everything a celebrity episode should be, it demonstrates a knowledge of the celebrity but also understands not to let the celebrity character take up the whole spotlight. Pinkie Pie and even the rest of the mane six get plenty of time to shine, and Weird Al shows off his musical talents to perfection. The whole thing is an enjoyable ride from start to finish, so for all those reasons I'm happily putting it in the top spot.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll rank the parents episodes.
Face it, he's gonna be hard to top.
I'd swap Perfect Pear and Mane Attraction, but I otherwise agree.