Twilight's Seven · 5:39pm Apr 21st, 2019
I'm not going to lie, I was hoping that episode 200 would be more like an extension of Slice of Life, but what I got instead was...really adorable and hilarious. Basically, the whole episode is just an excuse to do a lot of really silly stuff, and they do take full advantage of it, giving each character something imaginative to do and even adding in several homages to past episodes. It legitimately kept me guessing as to where the story was going, and while I predicted Spike would win the crown, the twist reveal that Luna was in on Spike's scheme was something I did not expect.
Despite being a rivalry between between Shining Armor and Twilight, the episode is actually about Spike, and I have to admit, it was heartwarming to see Spike get some acknowledgement as a member of Twilight's family. For the first time, we get to see Spike as a baby and actually playing with Twilight and Shining, and at the end of the episode, he's finally acknowledged as their younger brother. Again, having Luna--a sibling who also sometimes feels outshined by an older sibling--also be in on Spike's plan is just hilarious irony. It's good to see Spike get some love, especially in episode 200.
Speaking of which, it is amazing that this show managed to get to 200 episodes and counting. I remember when reaching 100 episodes was an amazing accomplishment, and the fact that the show was able to reach 200 before the finale is really special to me. Friendship is Magic is the longest running TV show based on a Hasbro property, and it is thanks to us fans and the hard work of the employees of DHX that has made this happen. We should all be thankful for that.