).Blogging about Things the Community Cares About · 12:03am Nov 11th, 2012
Season 3's underway. We're just before the general complaint of the episode becomes the villain (again), so let's take a moment to reflect on the positives. Oh and in case this isn't clear, or someone from a parrallel univese stumbles onto this.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
There, now I can start.
Celestia and Luna
Right from the gate, it shows they've listened and learned. I kind of flipped out, I'm not going to lie. Not because I'm a big fan of Luna in particular, but because it show that they're learning and listening and growing and that makes me one happy, happy man.
Spike
Badass little brother extroadanaire. This is another part of this episode that's not going to be forgotten any time soon. Spike did something. A massive something. And instead of driving the plot or creating the problem, he friggin saved the day. Score one for the little guy, no-one will be cracking jokes about how useless Spike is, at least for a while.
Princess Cadence and Shining Armor
Two more bits of brilliant work this episode, I'm not sure where to start, not that I've got much to say. The team went out of their way to subtly but clearly demonstrate that Shining and Cadence are effective, all-round awesome ponies. You know what? They got it right. Special mention goes to the royal couple's laser guided Cadence toss, that was awesome. Not only was it awesome, it was the only time you'll ever see a group of grown men exclaim happily when the day is saved by a purple dragon riding a pink winged-unicorn in pursuit of a giant crystal heart.
Left Hanging
That's right, anyone else notice? While Twilight did advance to the "next level" of her studies, they didn't show us what that level was. They vaguely hinted at it, and Luna pulled a book out of hammer space just before a scene cut away. Which means they finally held something back from us. Something is waiting later eludication. Which up until now, they haven't been able to do. So maybe, just maybe, fingers-crossed but we're going into a series with hanging plot elements. If this starts to become a regular thing, that'll be a victory.
Music
The failure song was okay. the Crystal fair was good, but we've known about that for months. By god, the success song kicked ass. Seriously. And it had a cute moment where Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash got too close to each other. So awesome.
Shipping.
Oh wow, where do I start? That whole episode, in any scene involving the mane 5, there's a shipworthy moment. There's a couple for Flutterdash. That joust sequence was good for us. Pinkie Dash and Appledash got a couple of moments each as well, probably higher level stuff than the joust at that. Gotta take what you get. The big overtures though were for the non dash ships though, in a surprise for everyone. Rarijack's going to be back in a big way after that whole "When they're a Rarity" line, and Rarispike just got hammered at us. Rari-Twi/Twi-Rarity which really doesn't portmenteau well also had a nice moment. And if I remember correctly I also might have seen some Pinkie/Fluttershy/Rarity, which actually doesn't make for a bad threeway-ship. But the best part is that if you don't look it as shipping, you can really see how close the mane 6 really are in this episode, and that's worth more than any shipping. This episode is now the textbook interaction standard within the mane 6.
Magic and Bizarro Architecture
The animation has come a long way from season one, and never has it been more apparent than right now. That both staircase sequences demonstrate some really slick, clean visuals and an impressive artistic vision. At this point Twilight's magic abilities are limited only by the visual department, and they're just getting better and better.
Sombra
People are going to complain, hell they already have. Sombra turned out to be a very effective natural-disaster villain. More of a storm on the horizon than an actual entity, but I think he was pretty good, given the episode wasn't really about him to start with. He didn't have the impact of Discord or Chryssallis, but they feared him just as much and that's what counts right? Also we now have a fear-and-shadows villain, which fanfiction is going to go to town on.
The Crystal Kingdom
If you're writing a power struggle in Equestria it just got re-focused. Sorry to say it, but the Kingdom, as I'm calling it, just blows everything else away in terms of strategic value.
Storms on the Horizon
Here's where the negative comes in, and it wasn't in the episode. Look through the ads for the coming season, they're up on EQD now. They include limitedly flying Scootaloo (YES!) and Trixieville (Double YES!) but one sequence that's going to trouble me until the episode it represents comes out. There's exactly two scenes in the sequence, one of Rainbow Dash flying neck-and-neck with another pegasus, and one of them finishing a race at the same time. I'm not sure if anybody else is seeing this but I'm calling right now that the episode is Wonderbolt Academy and Dash is getting a rival. Somepony out there is as fast as our Dash and depending on how that pony acts, this holds the potential for disaster. Never mind that the episode itself is finally going to deal with the whole Wonderbolts issue, which generates enough apprehension, anyone who's been in the game as long as I have knows what a rival character means. You can't write a rivalry without generating a perception of sexual tension. Ask the guy that penned Fair-Weather Friends. We can expect a territroy redrawing on the shipping map. All existing Dash ships will lose some, in the order Appledash, Flutterdash, Pinkiedash. Well when I say all, all of them but friggin Twidash. Hopefully that particular beast will lose some ground to the upcoming Twixie resurgence. Most importantly I'm feeling threatened by an unknown here and when I pull everything into context it gets even more distubing for me. ... I need help. It'll turn out alright. I hope.
Overall, that wasn't the absolute, ultimate best episode ever, but it was the episode I waited 7 months for, and it sure feels like it was worth waiting for. And it was spectacular. If they keep this up, we can expect a long happy run.
Also I've been up all night and hold that up as my shield against accusations of negligence. I never meant to write all that, it just kind of happened. Til I next decide to write,
Everhopeful out.
>Spike
Oh my gosh yes, he even got a stained glass window in his honor. Excellence.
>Music
Glad I'm not the only one who ajhdsfgjdhldsjkhdjahkdfhaskjflh'd at that scene with Flutters and Dash XD
>Sombra
I really wish they would have given him just a few more lines... But I still have something to work with on him!
>Trixieville
ALL OF MY YES
>Wonderbolt Academy
Yes sir, that episode is troubling me as well. For different reasons mayhaps, but I can see where you're coming from. I've seen that teaser of Dash flying next to another pegasus, but I didn't see it for what it was until you mentioned it. Hmm... Dash gets a rival in speed? Hmm... Yes, I'll be holding my breath for this one too.
Celestia and Luna - Listening? Not necissarily. The restrictions imposed because it still is a show for "little girls" are being loosened, meaning "scary" - and apparently "angry" - Luna is allowed back in.
Music - My opinions: I did a mental facepalm when I realized she wasn't actually taking a test, but that song was okay; "Crystal Faire" was "eh"; I was too busy figuring out specifically how much I hated this episode to pay attention to the "Success Song".
Shipping - There's this little thing called porn that most of us use instead of this. Please.
Magic and Bizarro Architecture - The animation dropped after the first few episodes and spiked with special effects when needed, this episode making another spike with some pretty good special effects. Twilight's magic is limited by what the authors think, not what the...
I'm getting a headache trying to explain these things. Just don't take any drugs tomorrow and watch it again.
My only complaint is that it was too short. It started out really well, but the second episode seemed compressed compared to the first. A Canterlot Wedding managed to pull off a complex plot in a small time slot, but this had enough interesting but underused ideas to feel rushed. On the plus side, the scenes that were given enough space to breathe were amazing. Plus, tons of songs.
Also: TWILIGHT THE CITY IS LITERALLY BEING DESTROYED WILL YOU STOP FUSSING OVER YOUR TEST.
492543
Das what I was thinking while contemplating hatred of this episode. If it had, say, 88 minutes to tell a story, it would've/could've been MUCH better
As is, I might try to nit-pick everything I can out of it tomorrow. To vent the rage.
Pessimism aside this episode hit the right nots and had everything you need fan base or canon
Sombra, ok I'm tired of the hate I mean come on he's not a god of chaos or a changeling queen he is shadows he don't need too mush fleshing out besides the episode is about the M6 and spike
Music, who could hate them if you did your loss
Cadence and shining armor weren't OC Mary sues so ha ha seriously they really did do a good job plus was I the only one who thought star wars when we first see shining armor
Celestia using her magic oh my yes
Instead of looking for what's wrong try looking for what's right
492427 Oh Bongo, you made it. Granted the reason you're here is so you could argue with someone over the episode. And I guess Mindblower threw my happiness with the episode your way and you being the enterprising go-getter that you are decided you could argue with me and cut out the middle man, but that just isn't happening. Much. You did throw down the gauntlet.
Celestia and Luna
I've been looking for an alternate explanation and thankfully this is one that's as good for us as the first. So either way, we all win and the stage is set for better things to come.
Music
Your opinions on this one say more about your mental state than they do about the actual music. Opinion is opinion, and I won't fight you on that battleground because neither of us will win.
Shipping
You are quite the firebrand aren't you? I'm quite sick of the association game people play on the topic so let me make this clear, if I want porn, that's what I'll look for. If I want the emotional fulfillment that's lacking in my every day life, I come here. Where the two intersect, I'll take depending upon my mood. The two sets of impetus are different. The two missing elements as well. I read shipping stories because when they're done right they provide a warm feeling in my chest that nothing else matches.
Magic and Architecture
You got a headache? Should we all stop and take 5? So far, dear heart, you haven't managed to make an impact. You've come here slinging opinions and inflammatory remarks like you're going to challenge me and the only slightly annoying thing about it so far is that you couldn't finish your thought. That's a sure sign of someone who's trying to be angry about a socially acceptable topic rather than the topic they really want to be angry about. I know for a fact you didn't like the episode, but that's not why you came out here, is it?
I don't want to fight with you Bongo, you're a good editor and I'd like to be able to call you a friend. You and I work better together than we do apart. However If your personality requires you to cast me as some kind of nemesis then I can work that as well. It's no skin off my back. So it all comes down to you. I know you have to fight that temper of yours around me for whatever reason, and I know you're not like this IRL but I'd really like it if we could be friends and colleagues. We might not agree on everything, but I'll take that over bouncing ideas off a mirror.
494697
The headache started long before I wrote up that comment.
I usually get really pissy when I'm tired.
The episode 'irked' me a great deal.
I really don't like the name "scoperocker" for some reason.
Kiss-kiss make up?
sowwy
502408
It's fine Bongo, I don't like the name much either.
Consider it forgotten.