Ranking the Season Premieres (From Worst to Best) · 2:03pm Mar 14th, 2019
With every season there is always a premiere and a finale. First impressions can go a long way towards ensuring the success or failure of a season, if you don't start out on the right foot it can be hard to overcome that hurdle later on. Likewise, a good season premiere can get fans pumped up for the season proper, make them willing to come back for more. So of the 8 premieres we have to consider (including one double premiere of two stand alone episodes), which ones succeeded and which ones failed and why? Like all prior lists, the same disclaimers apply.
8. Celestial Advice and All Bottled Up (Season 7, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why they're on the bottom: Season 7 is the only season in the entire show's history not to premiere with a two parter, instead they gave us two stand alone episodes that if not for the fact that they written by the same writing duo of Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco, there would be nothing to indicate that they at all were connected. The only connection I can think of is that they both revolve around Starlight, and even then that's a stretch. "Celestial Advice" in and of itself isn't bad, I still believe that it was meant to be the big two parter premiere but Hasbro shot it down. "All Bottled Up" is what really drags the premiere down, it truly feels like a hastily written story turned in to meet some kind of deadline and lacks any kind of oomph behind it (to say nothing of how unbearable Trixie becomes as the plot drags on).
7. The Return of Harmony Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is weaker than Part 1) (Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why they're not on the bottom: Even those this two parter was originally meant to be the grand finale for the entire show, it ultimately wound up being the premiere of the show's second season. But while the villain is a much marked improvement upon Nightmare Moon and the stakes are definitely higher, the whole thing feels rushed and uneven in focus. Some characters get too much screen time and others not nearly enough. Many of the redemptions of the mane six are glossed over and Discord is defeated very anti-climatically. A third part is what this whole thing deserved, a third part to flesh things out.
6. The Crystalling Parts 1 and 2 (Season 6, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's in the bottom three: I've said it many times already but it probably bears repeating here, the first part is so underwhelming and uneventful outside of Flurry Heart's introduction that you can be forgiven if you think the two parter label was a mistake. It's not until the very end of Part 1 that we actually get a true conflict (because just having the mane six fuss over a baby while Starlight tries to bond with Sunburst again wouldn't have made for a very compelling start). And then Part 2 suffers from tacking on unnecessary subplots that just divide the focus and prevent the stories we've already invested time in from getting the kind of development they need. Starlight surprisingly is what ends up carrying this whole thing, alongside Spike and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna actually doing something for once.
5. The Crystal Empire Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is weaker than Part 1) (Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's in the bottom half: Considering that what came before this was the still controversial "A Canterlot Wedding" this premiere didn't exactly do the best job of putting that all behind them. The two parter itself is fine, it's a more slice of life oriented two parter and to the show's credit it definitely feels more in its comfort zone here whereas many of their two parters involving adventures have always had something that leaves you scratching your head. However, the second part in particular suffers from mood whiplash, Sombra ultimately lacks in presence (he's more of an implied threat, though at least compared to the Storm King we have a reason why others fear him and he does deserve praise for being the smartest of all the villains), and the whole thing tries to fit the mane six's personalities into the story but doesn't always do the best job of it. Shining Armor and Cadence are also stuck on the sidelines even though this is supposed to be their empire. And it isn't until the very end that we learn what the point of all this was, Celestia tested Twilight to get her ready for what ultimately comes into play in "Magical Mystery Cure".
4. School Daze Parts 1 and 2 (Season 8, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's in the top half: While it was probably a last minute substitute for the original planned premiere (why else do you think they teased us with "The Mean Six" first before they revealed any details about the school that was to take center stage?) this premiere proved that it could follow up on the movie and not seem weaker by comparison. I'm not entirely sure the map expanding needed to be a justification for Twilight to open her school, and the Tempest bit feels like a very hasty handwave for the fact that the show can't afford Emily Blunt (unless Emily was willing to pay to fly to Vancouver or someone was willing to fly to LA and meet up with her to record). Plus, we just got through a movie of Twilight being treated as in the wrong for not listening to her friends, so her not remembering that lesson here feels kind of jarring. But even as the focus shifts from the mane six to the student six, our established characters still get a chance to shine and do so well. The only problem is that in the second half, the students were never in any real danger and when they tried to show us that they didn't tell us nearly enough for us to get invested.
3. Friendship is Magic Parts 1 and 2 (Mare in the Moon and Elements of Harmony) (Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's in the top three: There's no denying that back in 2010 and 2011 (and even 2012 before we had Netflix and DVD distribution) this two parter premiere blew everyone who saw it away! It introduced things that had never been seen in the My Little Pony brand before, and in doing so hooked fans with its engaging story and compelling characters. The second half proved to be a genuine adventure where the ponies actually had to solve the problems themselves, they didn't need others to do it for them. Of course, each of the mane six got their own chance to shine but some of them were in their default personalities here (particularly Rarity) and it would take time for them to grow beyond that. Of course, when Pinkie Pie broke the fourth wall and asked if we were excited, hardly anyone at the time could've guessed where these colorful cartoon ponies would take us.
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: I'm not sure if this two parter would've been anywhere near as anticipated or even remembered if not for the insanely long hiatus that came before it (as a result of Hasbro and Discovery Family parting ways over The Hub and Hasbro trying to shop their shows to other networks). At the time, considering we didn't know if "Equestria Girls" was canon or not, it seemed like this two parter picked right up where the Season 4 finale left off (of course we know now that's not quite the case). And from there it lured us in with a premiere that pulled no punches, it wasn't like anything we'd seen before. Interestingly, M. A. Larson was story editor here, but the episode that came after this one ("Castle, Sweet Castle") had Meghan McCarthy credited as story editor, which suggests that this premiere came about later on (perhaps during the hiatus as Meghan left to work on the movie). In this case it turned out to be a decision for the better, because I don't think you could've turned "Castle, Sweet Castle" into a two parter and made it engaging.
1. Princess Twilight Sparkle Parts 1 and 2 (Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it's on the top: Apparently this two parter was actually written all the way back in 2012, meaning that even as far back as that the show had already considered making Twilight an alicorn. After over half a year of waiting and anticipating with only the first "Equestria Girls" to tide fans over, this premiere had a lot to do to reassure fans. Fortunately it proved to be up to the task, proving that it could work with the new changes to the status quo without completing ignoring them. Interestingly, this is one of only two two parters and only one of three premieres that doesn't have a new villain introduced in some way, shape, or form. This time around they're reusing old ones, but exploring them from new angles and new depths. This also offered the first glimpses into Princess Celestia's character, showing some of the tough decisions she's made and some of the guilt she still harbors over Luna's banishment. To top it all off, this premiere boasted near perfect flash animation (I still think they could've built on it for the movie instead of using Toon Boom, but I understand that they probably didn't want to look cheap) and teased an overarching plot that ultimately was only somewhat followed through in the end. So for all those reasons, I'm putting this premiere in the top spot.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll rank the season finales.
For me, it goes:
School Daze
Celestial Advice/All Bottled Up (thanks to the latter)
The Cutie Map
The Crystalling
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Crystal Empire
Friendship is Magic
Return of Harmony