My Thoughts on the Season Premier (Plus other stuff. Spoilers after the break!) · 4:57am Nov 13th, 2012
First, some other stuff because I don't talk to you guys enough and it makes me sad!
Mezza Voce's next chapter is delayed because the last scene of it was something I read back and thought was complete and utter trite (British slang). So, to that effect, It will not be up until later in the week, hopefully before the next new episode. (Wow, it's been a long time since I could say that. xD) That said, I am looking forward to it since Pinkie Pie episodes have a high rate of being entertaining. Particularly Party of One from season one and A Friend in Deed from season two. Still, that is off topic. All I can say is thank Celestia for my editor and for opinions of other, anonymous, members of the LOEG. Seriously, you aspiring authors out there can never go wrong bouncing ideas off of each other!
As you might have noticed on my page, 'Sharing the Night' has been removed from 'unfinished favourites' and has been replaced by 'Rites of Ascension'. Sadly, StN has not updated since APRIL and the author has been MIA for a month now. Until it updates, I am calling it dead and moving on, which is unfortunate because it was awesome. That being said 'Rites' is unique in that her transformation is not sudden and she is well aware of the fact and has time to process it before it happens. I look forward to seeing where it is going.
Now, then, on to my thoughts. I hope I do not screw this up. >>
Spoiler Alert in case you are one of the five people who have not seen season three, episodes one and two yet!!
I have been a part of the fan base since late January of 2011. Equestria Daily was barely a month old and my first time seeing a new episode was Suited for Success, which coincidentally featured the first appearance of my favourite background pony, bar Derpy: Vinyl. As such, I have seen many, many new episodes, all of the finales and now two out of the three premiers. Saturday last was magical in that I decided to go into it almost 100% spoiler free. Sadly, due to forces beyond my control, I was exposed to the name and appearance of our villain and did my best to forget.
All of that being said, I was pleasantly surprised by these two episodes. The animation was top-flight, all of the characters were in character, though Dash was just a twinge obnoxious when she was helping Applejack keep ponies away from the fake Crystal Heart. It was also very nice to see some interaction between the two royal sisters and see some more development, albeit marginal, for Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armour. Although, as he himself put it, it is getting embarrassing that his little sister needs to bail him out so much. xD It was also very good of them to finally give Spike his due. The poor guy has done SO much for the mane six, yet until now he has never had a chance to shine beyond the role of dependent or valuable sidekick.
Sure, it is arguable that he still did not do much, since this episode was all about our favourite egghead unicorn.
In the sprawling, epic episodes like this, it is no surprise that Twilight Sparkle takes the reigns as the character of focus for much of the plot. This has been true since Lauren herself penned out the script for the pilot and will probably remain true until the series meets its end. However, unlike all of the previous episodes, Twilight really flexes her magical muscles in more ways then one. Sure, she has learned quite a few kick-flank abilities that remind me of Super Mario Galaxy and actually uses ~Dark Magic~ and suffers no ill effects, but this episode really showcases how she has grown as a leader.
Charged with a test from Princess Celestia, the success of which will open the doors to more advanced studies, (though the field is never stated) right from the gate, she mobilizes and utilizes her friends aid to the best of their abilities. However, the big turning point comes when, faced with the choice of succeeding in her mission or ensuring the survival of the Crystal Empire, she takes the high road and decides that her own fate will mean nothing should the empire fall. Taking into consideration that not more than ten minutes previous she was cursed with a vision of her greatest fear (her failure) this speaks great volumes for her selflessness when it comes down to the wire. I wholeheartedly agree with Celestia in letting her pass on those ground despite technically failing.
Despite the heavy nature of the plot, a good amount of humor (which is necessary for a kids show with such a topic) was present, be it Twilight having a religious experience from all the books present in the Crystal Empire's ENORMOUS library, to Applejack and Rainbow Dash trolling Rarity, to said marshmallow having a mild orgasm at the idea of crystalline ponies. And l would be remiss to forget Spy Pie in her Fluttershy suit, or Shining Armour: Wife Chucker! Seriously, whoever story boarded that deserves a medal! Who would think all of this happens as a shadow of doom and gloom lies waiting for the opportune moment to pounce, just out of sight?
This brings me to the villain of this episode: King Sombra. Many have said he was not a threat, or a real villain at all due to his lack of actions and screen time. Other have claimed he is a homage to the Tolkien Sauron (please don't hate me for misspelling that). All I can say is that he is what he is: a tyrannical former ruler of the empire who was turned into shadows and cast into the abyss. Unlike previous villains, he is not some supernatural creature by nature: he was a normal (if weird looking) unicorn who was turned into a personification of darkness. That, plus being banished for over a thousand years would probably not help his sanity much, nor his communication skills. He played his role well, however, and was suitable motivation for the mane cast to succeed.
I do not think we have seen the last of him though. Unlike the other villains thus far, his fate is more uncertain. When the barrier first fell, and then recast, his horn was chopped off and it allowed some corruption to spread. In the end, we see his horn flying to the screen. We might not see him until the end of the season, or maybe even next season, but I have a feeling that he WILL return, much like a certain magician in an upcoming episode.
What are my thoughts on the episode as a whole? Though not as flamboyant and funny as Return of Harmony, it was pretty damned good and sets the bar high for the season. Also, unlike season two, it sets up a very intriguing story arc for the next eleven episodes: Twilight Sparkle's destiny. There are many theories floating about, and I have one of my own, but I am keeping my mouth shut because it might make a good story. ;3 Only time can tell.
If I had to rate? I would say 95/100.
If you guys like these impressions and thoughts, I might do them for all new episodes from now on. Tell me what you think in the comments! =D
Until then, this is Ciroton signing out!
This is why you people are brilliant. King Sombra returning again? I would have not seen that coming. But would this call for a return to the crystal empire? It wouldn't be like a re-write of the first two episodes of this season, would it?
Now that this is the actual blog...
I wouldn't mind viewing your thoughts and opinions on the new episodes. I say go for it!
499879 I could see them doing something where all/most of the villains team up against the Elements of Harmony and their allies. Perhaps not in this season but still.
I got a serious question how do you feel about gak and gak ponies?
499907
It's a stupid meme and should die in a fire. I watched the episodes on livestream first and it glitched during that commercial, coincidentally, so I do not get the appeal of it.
Shining Armour throwing his wife like a javelin, was also my favorite scene in the premiere.
Not sure if him tossing his wife makes him the best or worst husband ever, but it does make him manly and a baws. Armour really got to be a bit of a badass this time around, he ran into Sombra's swirling mass to buy time for the 6. He could have gotten killed if he didnt get tossed into Cadence's field.
Get the Prince Captain a beer!
I also loved that they clarified his rank/position now. My head canon will always say "Prince Captain Shining Armor" or "Sir Prince Captain Shining Armor" if I want to be funny.
499907 they make me want to FLOAM at the mouth
499920
The same commercial played 4 times in a row, and it goes gak gak gak constantly in the background, so it could classify as a form of mind rape.
499879
Actually, I was thinking more of him reforming somewhere and biding his time to rebuild his power before tracking the ponies down and assaulting them directly, but the jury is out on that one. *Le shrug*
499950
It WAS a pretty long derp in the stream, Long enough that I had to refresh the page and come back just as the show started again.
499959
Warning this will rape your mind, Cthulhu has nothing on this.
I'm not seeing where all the Sombra hate is coming from as well, so I have to agree with you. Well... I can see it but I totally disagree. He's pretty much a videogame villain. Ganon(this episode took SO many cues from Zelda), Sephiroth and so many others. He provides the motivation, but it's about the PCs(Sparkle and friends) this time around, not the NPCs.
EXTREME SPOILER
END EXTREME SPOILER
The one thing that we have to ponder about is the book that Luna summoned (presumably it has
Twilight's cutie mark on it) and what is Twilight's "destiny" (I bet in favor of alicorn).
Also GAK GAK GAK!
I agree practicality with all your toughts about the season premiere, good sir.
I really liked Sombra. It was a good change to see a villian that doesn't put a show, but is intimidating just for being out there, and for what he did thousands of years before.
It would be awesome to read your opinions on all new episodes.
499950 There were like a hundred Gak commercials during this first S3 eps, it was just ridiculous. Worst than a mind rape. I'm guessing people just need to get it off their system or something.
Not me, my mind has auto block commercials. Didn't really realised how much Gak I was watching until the guys on the stream's chat started "GAK GAK GAK GAK".
500045
Actually, it wasn't Twilight's cutie mark. It was a spiral, overlaid with two stars. Maybe you could also call this spiral a "swirl". Which is, right now, my best bet on who this book once belonged two. Or was written by. Or something like that.
Anyway, great thing to latch unto and let imagination run wild.
My only question is why there will only be 13 episodes? Pardon if this is already regarded somewhere. You also said maybe not this season, do you believe they will make more after such a short season?
I like your review of the premier. Many thought it fell short in some areas, but I think they did a great job with the time they had and a general good job overall. 95/100 seems about right, especially if you put it all together and examine some of the details. A lot happened in the short time, but it did bring up many good foundations for the future. One of the things I liked the most was all the major characters got screen time, unlike some episodes (Where was Pinkie PIe in the Trixie episode) etc.
Shinning armor and snow blind goggles just has fic written all over it.
Well there is my take on the cake//dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Octavia_cake.png
500183 imagine all the stories yet to be written!
500191 It's shorter because they can produce more and better content now. And season 4 was hinted in the budget.
I've really softened my position on some things in this premier, focusing on the good things rather than the negatives. I've actually grown to like the looming presence that Sombra created and the dread when he was on his final march. Plus, the dude had one heck of a security system in place to protect the Crystal Heart.
Unfortunately, I couldn't help getting into the spoilers for this two parter. I caved, I admit it! Including the one where that obnoxious magician comes back. However, since then I've steeled myself and haven't gotten too deep into the other episodes. I'll be going in fresh for the majority of them.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
500183
Oh, I noticed the stars and swirls on the book, all right. I've also noticed that unlike Rarity, both of Twilight's parents are unicorns. What does this have to do with anything? We'll just wait and see.
500198
It's probably a mix of that and the fact that a thirteen episode season is less costly to produce for Hasbro. After all, they are a corporation and corporations like them are ALWAYS out for their bottom line. We might have to wait until next September for season four (worst-case scenario), or we might get it for the spring lineup. Sadly, only time can tell.
Sombra was more of a presence than a direct villain, hence the Sauron-esque (I now love that term) parallels. The threat of his return was more the point of him than the other villains, who were already in full throttle of their respective deeds. Maybe if he'd had one or two more direct lines to the mane cast (I kept expecting him to start mocking Twilight after she saw the stained glass window of her failure), people would have complained less about his role. I personally enjoyed him, and think he will return.
Also, what's in the book? Answer me, dangit.
>Shining Armour
The name is Shining Armor
499982
504607
I am Canadian. I am morally obligated to add a 'U' to words ending in 'or'. Proper noun or not!
505111 I know why you put the u. His name does not have a u. Also, errour.