Ranking the Mid Season Premieres (From Worst to Best) · 5:17pm Mar 17th, 2019
When a show comes back from hiatus and starts up the next batch of episodes, you need to make sure you've got something good to lure audiences back and prevent a drop off. For this show, much as the mid season finale has become an important (and sadly underutilized) tradition in recent years, so too has the mid season premiere. We've got 7 to consider.
The same disclaimers as always apply, and we're looking at how the episodes function not just individually but also as a starting point for the second half of their respective seasons.
7. Fame and Misfortune (Season 7, Episode 14)
Why it's on the bottom: M. A. Larson's account is still the only official account we have to go on for this episode (which just further seems to suggest that it was a decision from higher ups at Hasbro and the DHX staff were dragged into it and forced to do damage control afterward). The exact details are still sketchy, what I can make out is that he originally wrote the episode during Season 5 and was hoping to make it a Pinkie Pie episode with some kind of message about how there's also a person or figure attached to the work you criticize. He wasn't happy with where it was going, apparently because Hasbro told them they were turning it into an attack the critics episode, so he shelved the unfinished script and ultimately left the show without ever touching it. Someone else then came along, took his unfinished script, and completed it even after Larson begged and pleaded with Hasbro not to air it. Ultimately, that's what puts this episode in the lowest spot here. It was never meant to be any kind of big premiere or finale, it likely would've been somewhere in the second half of Season 5 or even possibly the first half. Making it into the second half premiere for Season 7, a season that had only just begun to find its footing, might be one of the worst mistakes the show ever made.
6. Yakity-Sax (Season 8, Episode 18 in production order/14 in airdate)
Why it's not on the bottom: This episode never would've even been a premiere of any sort had Discovery Family not for unexplained reasons aired this episode as a "sneak peak" weeks before the actual second half of Season 8 was slated to kick off with a double premiere. Maybe they weren't confident in "A Matter of Principals" and "The Hearth's Warming Club", or maybe they were just frustrated by all the leaks and wanted to dump the episodes as quickly as possible and be done with it. Either way, this episode really lacks any sort of punch that warranted being aired early, to say nothing of the fact that it's a jumbled reuse of plot points from other Pinkie Pie episodes with no real thought to as whether they would work again (the return of Pinkamina in particular is done solely for shock value because it contributes nothing else of substance).
5. Filli Vanilli (Season 4, Episode 14)
Why it's in the bottom three: After Season 4 had a terrific first half, its second half was incredibly rocky right from the get go. Putting aside the obvious reference and Pinkie Pie's arguably worst potrayal of all time, this episode comes across as lazy fanservice. They knew Flutterguy was popular, so they wrote an episode solely about bringing it back, except not really because the voice actor was changed. And after we'd already established Fluttershy as capeable of standing up to Discord and competing in the Equestria Games, for her to suddenly not be over her stage fright and performance anxiety felt like a big contrivence and a step backward.
4. Canterlot Boutique (Season 5, Episode 14)
Why it's in the middle: While the appeal of this episode has gone up a little in the wake of other dream achieving episodes being duds or underwhelming, that doesn't mean this episode is without fault. Sassy Saddles' behavior comes very suddenly, as does her redemption. It all occurs within a vaucum that would never exist if Rarity at all took charge of the boutique or tried to assert herself. We also never get to see Sassy truly attempt to make amends, her redemption is just a simple "I'm sorry" but we've never seen her actually have time to change. What might be the best thing about this episode is how it tackles the dilemma of finally getting to live out your dream, only to find out it's nothing like you'd imagine.
3. The Last Roundup (Season 2, Episode 14)
Why it's in the top three: Derpy's appearance alone probably constituted making this episode the second half premiere, all controversy aside. In fact it's all that most people remember this episode for to this day, and that's a shame. There's plenty of other things to like about it, Pinkie Pie in particular is in top form throughout this episode. Between her and Derpy it's easy to forget that this is supposed to be an Applejack episode, one of the first that unfortunately left her saddled with the reputation of a background pony.
2. Suited for Success (Season 1, Episode 14)
Why it's not on the top: The show's breakout episode and the one that allowed it truly to define itself. It's not that prior to this the show was bad, but it seemed unsure of what it wanted to be or what it wanted to do. It was this episode that defined it, it was all about taking concepts that seemed unworkable and showing that regardless of target audience, if you wrote it well enough and did your research you could lure in anyone. It also marked the first steps towards building up the Grand Galloping Gala that was to serve as the Season 1 finale, and is when Rarity started to make a name for herself, even if she spends most of the episode at the whims of her friends' desires.
1. Stranger Than Fanfiction (Season 6, Episode 14 in production order/13 in airdate)
Why it's on the top: Even if it was bumped up an episode number, this episode still marked the debut of Season 6's second half and it could not have asked for a better opener. A celebrity appearance alone was a big deal, especially when it's Patton Oswalt of all people voicing a character. But what really helped this episode stand out, was not just how it was a Daring Do episode that built on other Daring Do episodes, but also an episode all about fandoms. It treated the audience with respect, while taking occasional jabs at them (all in good nature). Everyone got a chance to shine, even if it's kind of distracting how Quibble Pants is basically Daring Do as a stallion. So for all those reasons, I'm putting this episode in the top spot.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll rank the redemption episodes.
I'd put Fame and Misfortune at the top and Last Roundup at the bottom; but I otherwise agree
5029411 Why would "Last Roundup" be on the bottom?
5029590
Outside of the Derpy part in the original version, the episode as a whole is just kind of there.