Ranking the Two Parters (From Worst to Best)

Now it's on to episode types, episodes involving a particular type of theme or structure. Two parters have with few exceptions been how seasons have started and ended. Yet their quality has widely varied over the years, and at the same time they rarely tend to be on most people's best episodes lists (perhaps owing to the Slice of Life nature of the show). But today we're going to look at all 13 two parters we've had so far and see how they compare.

Since two parters are being involved both parts will be ranked in the same spot, and worth mentioning is that I'm only including official two parters and not episodes that premiered back to back or may have occurred at the same time (meaning "Celestial Advice" and "All Bottled Up" despite serving as the premieres for Season 7, will not be included). And of course the same disclaimer as all previous lists applies.

13. School Raze Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is worse than Part 1) (Season 8, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it's on the bottom: This entire finale is one jumbled up mess of ideas that were all just thrown together with no rhyme or reason. The only thing that was clear from this finale is that they wanted it to be a student six finale, and the only way they could do that was to essentially nerf all the other characters. The mane six and Spike get stuck in Tartarus and do nothing, the princesses are rendered powerless until the very end, Starlight is imprisoned, Neighsay upon being reformed abruptly exits from the scene, and the CMC who were touted as playing a big role in this finale just get tricked by Cozy Glow and shoved into a broom closet and forgotten about. To top it all off, Cozy Glow makes zero sense as a villain. We know nothing about her, nothing that explains how or why she is the way she is. I'm not saying child villains can't be believable because there are plenty of examples to contradict that, but with Cozy she feels like a modern twist villain in that everything we previously knew about her is a lie despite no evidence to suggest that.

12. The Return of Harmony Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is worse than Part 1) (Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's not on the bottom: This two parter remains a fan favorite for a lot of people, but I'm in the minority that finds it to be very overrated. My biggest problem is how poorly paced it all is. Once we get into the maze things start to progress way too fast, scenes that should've been given more attention are just rushed through or glossed over. And we spend way too much time on Rainbow Dash, particularly the chase scene at the end that sucks away screen time that should've been spent on the redemptions of the rest of the mane six. I also find it odd that Twilight seems to spend the two parter thinking her friends are intentionally acting the way they are, even though it should be clear that it's Discord's doing. Discord is really this two parter's saving grace and even then he gets defeated very anti-climatically. To think that this could've been the original grand finale for the entire show, if it had stopped here it would've been a disappointing and lackluster ending.

11. The Cutie Re-Mark Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is worse than Part 1) (Season 5, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it's in the bottom three: Starlight Glimmer is definitely the magnet of controversy throughout this two parter, particularly with how noticeably plot armored she is in order to be a match for Twilight. There's also the fact that Twilight is incredibly slow on the uptake and makes statements that I have a hard time believing she would ever willingly say (what would give her the idea that Chrysalis in another timeline could be trusted when Twilight was on the receiving end of Chrysalis' deceptions before). The alternative timelines are nice but even then we only really get to see how the first timeline (the Sombra one) plays out. And when Twilight finally takes action against Starlight, Starlight flat out refuses to accept that her actions could ever bring harm to Equestria. She instead gives a sob backstory that at the time we had no way of knowing if it was true or not, and then she just magically changes her mind when Twilight breaks through to her on a whim. It doesn't help that this is the first finale not to include Twilight's friends, and their alternative universe counterparts don't get to do much, making this seem like the "Twilight Sparkle and Friends" show.

10. Friendship is Magic Parts 1 and 2 (Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's not in the bottom three: Pilots are never the best episodes of their respective shows, no matter how well written they may be or how many episodes they may get. Pilots have to do a lot, they must establish the world, the characters, the rules, and any reoccurring or crucial plot elements, and sometimes direction can change after the fact. As far as pilots go this one was pretty good, even if the second part can at times feel a bit underwhelming and rushed. The biggest problem is Nightmare Moon, she has a commanding presence as a villain but she lacks one thing that all good villains must have. She never interacts with the heroes outside her brief showdown with Twilight. You could argue that this is Luna fighting back against Nightmare Moon, refusing to hurt others, but it still leaves Nightmare Moon a tad bit toothless.

9. The Crystalling Parts 1 and 2 (Season 6, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's in the bottom five: This two parter had two very big and controversial changes it needed to address, reformed Starlight and Flurry Heart. It actually managed to handle the former really well (whenever it found the time to focus on Starlight anyways) but for the latter it kind of dropped the ball. There's no explanation given as to why Flurry Heart is an alicorn other than "because", and we spend the entire first part on her just being cute and causing trouble, to the point where you can be forgiven for thinking the two parter label was a mistake. When they abruptly toss in a conflict at the end of Part 1, Part 2 ends up falling victim to trying to juggle too many plots all in one episode. Not only do we have the plots with Flurry Heart and Starlight, but they add a pointless third subplot of Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy trying to convince the Crystal Ponies to move indoors, as well as a brief fourth subplot of Celestia and Luna trying to hold back the Frozen North. Sunburst isn't bad, but his character here makes him feel like a male Moondancer and it would take subsequent episodes to truly flesh him out.

8. To Where and Back Again Parts 1 and 2 (Season 6, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it's in the bottom half: Compared to "The Crystalling" this two parter has kind of the opposite problem, Part 1 is very clearly the set up for the pay off in Part 2 and they make no efforts to hide it. The princesses being captured again feels like a step backward considering "The Crystalling" had finally let them actually do something in a two parter. And the ending feels just a little bit abrupt since no one tries to chase after Chrysalis when she just runs off. It wouldn't surprise me if they originally planned to have Chrysalis be reformed here, but then they saw the backlash against Starlight's reformation and rightfully decided against it. Starlight does work well as the group leader, she's not perfect and she's very clearly winging it. But in the grand scheme of things the most Trixie accomplished was getting Starlight out of town for the initial plot and springing the imposter Discord's trap. There's also no reason given as to why Thorax becomes silent upon his transformation since the next time we see him he speaks just the same as he did before.

7. School Daze Parts 1 and 2 (Season 8, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's in the middle: Yeah yeah, the title is extremely unoriginal and unimaginative (considering what happened with "The Mean Six" I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this two parter was a last minute substitute when Hasbro mandated the school take center stage, and thus they didn't have time to come up with something more original), but that's really one of only two big sins that this two parter pulls off. In fact, it seemed to be quite aware of a lot of the criticisms and skepticisms that people had going into Season 8 with news of the school, and addressed most of them. While the focus does shift towards the student six as time goes by, the mane six and even Spike and Starlight still get some moments to shine. However, the episode's placement in the timeline raises questions. Twilight not listening to her friends wouldn't be such a big deal, if we didn't just get an entire movie that made it a focal point that Twilight wasn't listening to her friends. Plus, when we learn that the nations are about to go to war over their missing students we the audience learn that they're okay, they're not in any danger and no one has abducted them. They try to add in some danger with the introduction of pudwigs but they don't tell us enough about them for us to understand why they're a danger (are their quills toxic or really sharp? Because otherwise, Yona shouldn't be threatened by them given her thick fur).

6. Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 and 2 (Season 4, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it's in the top half: For a lot of fans this was the high water mark of the show, and I know a lot of fans who say this is where the show should've stopped (even Mr.Enter considers it the best episode of the show, though he has admittedly not kept up with the show given his normal line of work). I personally don't agree, not that I think this two parter is particularly bad. It has great visuals and was able to work well with Twilight as an alicorn. Plus, Tirek as the villain was a great nod to G1 to celebrate the MLP franchise's 30th anniversary (they originally planned to have it be the Pony of Shadows but we don't know if it would've been the same as the one we ultimately got a few years down the line). However, this two parter is guilty of what I consider "Building Backwards", meaning it knew from the start what the climax would be and even kind of how it would end, and every other decision is aimed solely at getting to that. Why else would Celestia send Discord alone to stop Tirek without any plan in place if Discord should fail, or make no effort to hide the existence of Twilight when she got all the alicorn magic? Why else would Discord be so easily swayed just on Tirek's words alone even considering how his friends sometimes treated him in episodes prior? And why else would Twilight keep Discord's betrayal a secret when her friends would be in danger anyway just by living in the same town as her? Tirek is also kind of a villain sue, an enjoyable one mind you, but still a villain sue all the same. And the castle at the very end is quite clearly a case of executive meddling.

5. The Crystal Empire Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is worse than Part 1) (Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's in the top five: Although this two parter has its fair share of problems, I think it deserves credit for being a more slice of life oriented type of two parter. There's not quite as high a stakes in this one, not that it's completely void of them. And it was nice to have someone besides Twilight or the mane six be the one to save the day. Shining Armor and Cadence sadly don't get much of a chance to further develop here, they're largely on the sidelines throughout (though the two parter does offer up an explanation for it). What hurt this two parter is the lack of a defined personality for Sombra. He doesn't need to be directly moving on the Crystal Empire, but there needs to be some kind of a presence to back up his threat or else he could easily be replaced by an invading army or a natural disaster. And there's also the mood whiplash in the second half, as we go back and forth between the emotionally compelling stuff with Twilight and Spike, and the rest of the mane six getting into comedic shennigans to keep the Crystal Ponies occupied. This two parter also tried to insert the mane six's personalities into the story, but it didn't make all of them work the best. But between this and the two parter that comes next, we would more or less get a blueprint that "Twilight's Kingdom" would more or less follow to a t.

4. A Canterlot Wedding Parts 1 and 2 (Season 2, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it's not in the top three: Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's introductions are definitely abrupt and at some point when this two parter was greenlighted they should've thrown in a few scenes establishing them in episodes prior (or at least give a passing mention of them, though you could argue that the royal guards being friendly with Twilight in "It's About Time" foreshadows Shining Armor as they may know of her through him). And of course there's the infamous scene where Twilight's friends (including Spike) all up and abandon her in favor of a new princess they just met, which remains one of the most prominent places for accusation, apology, and aftermath fics to this very day (it even has an entire group dedicated to them). But considering what little information there was to go on for this two parter and considering the promotional trailer for it offered no real hints beyond what appeared to be clones, the fact that so much actually went on in this two parter is a testament to what I consider to be strong writing. Even though Shining Armor and Cadence are ultimately the ones to save the day, the mane six get their moments to shine in the memorable fight against the changelings. Interestingly, in Part 2 Fluttershy does not speak at all, making this the only time in any two parter she has never done so (she had no speaking roles in two other Season 2 episodes, in both cases Shanon Chan-Kent filled in for Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy's crying was a recycled stock sound effect. It doesn't appear Shanon voiced Pinkie in this two parter though).

3. Shadow Play Parts 1 and 2 (Season 7, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it's in the top three: This two parter builds on the foundation of "To Where and Back Again" and does it better. Part 1 is still clearly the set up and Part 2 the payoff, but it manages to be much more believeable and well written. Tieing in with the IDW comics was a risk to be sure, considering the quality of the comics at the time (at least from a main series perspective), but in this case it proved to be a risk worth taking. In fact, this two parter filled in some of the last gaps in the lore by explaining how the Tree of Harmony and the Elements of Harmony came to be. Sunburst proved to be a fantastic sixth/seventh ranger of the group, but Starlight and Spike still got their moments to shine. And each of the pillars were given their own opportunities to excel as well. Perhaps the biggest strength of this two parter is that it allows both groups to contribute without one seeming stronger or weaker than the other, which is what any team-up/crossover should be about. It would be higher if not for the fact that Starlight comes across as a bit preachy and questionable considering her redemption and what she used to be before (her role probably could've been cut down and given to someone like Luna who might make a more compelling case).

2. The Cutie Map a.k.a Cutie Markless Parts 1 and 2 (Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's not on the top: Considering the insanely long hiatus that stretched on for almost a year before this episode came out, this two parter had a lot to prove. And it did so with incredible flare! This feels very much like a group mission and a team effort, something that the mane six could only do when they're together. Even Spike being written out of the story doesn't feel like that much of a problem, considering he probably wouldn't have been affected by Starlight's magic but also wouldn't have been able to do much (Starlight would've locked him away with the others). As an antagonist, Starlight works wonders as a threat hiding in plain sight that no one can see. Even when she's exposed she's still dangerous. The mane six do end up a little bit nerfed here, but it doesn't feel too jarring since they make it seem like the focus was on them as teachers and role models, inspiring others to take charge and be the heroes of their own stories. It is a little odd though that Night Glider was (and still is) the only member of the village not to be named on-screen, and that the village still lacks a proper name. Details like that are hard to ignore.

1. Princess Twilight Sparkle Parts 1 and 2 (Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's on the top: In many ways this feels not unlike a second (or third depending on how you wanna count "The Ticket Master") pilot for the show, the pilot for what you could say is G4.5 (G4 was the first three seasons, G4.5 is Season 4 onwards). It had a lot to prove considering that alicorn Twilight was still a huge issue of controversy within the fandom and some fans were even swearing off the comics because Twilight was going to be an alicorn in them. This two parter proved that Twilight being an alicorn princess wasn't going to magically make things different, it could work with the changes and Twilight was still the character we knew and loved. It also proved it could handle the other big change from the end of Season 3, Discord's reformation. He still has his Discord like ways and mannerisms, but he's no longer a direct threat and is willing to help if he sees a benefit to it. Despite a few editing hiccups (pretty sure alicorn magic isn't the same as dark magic), this two parter managed to do all it needed to do and teased the possibility of an ongoing theme that ultimately the show backed off on after the first three episodes of the season. We even got to see some of the tough decisions Celestia made in the past, serving as the rumored "Origin of Harmony" that was thought to be the Season 3 premiere originally (but ultimately turned out to be just a rumor). So for all those reasons, I'm putting this two parter in the top spot.

And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll rank the Season Premieres.

Comments

[superfun]

For me, it goes;
School Raze, because I love everything about it
School Daze
Shadow Play
To Where and Back Again
Cutie Re-Mark
Cutie Map
The Crystalling
Twilight's Kingdom
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Canterlot Wedding
Friendship is Magic
The Crystal Empire
Return of Harmony