The Second Half of Season 9 v.s. the Second Half of Seasons 1-8 (Episodes Only)

Well folks, it's been quite a ride but Season 9 is over and with it the show. I know that was a lot to take in last night, but let's try to step back and think. After all we've been through, all we saw, how well did Season 9 fare in its second half? Did it send the show off on a high note, make us wish we'd get another season, or just make us glad the show ended now? Well first, we're going to look at how all thirteen episodes in the half stack up. And as always, this list is purely the result of my personal opinion so please respect it.

13. A Trivial Pursuit
12. A Horse Shoe-In
11. 2, 4, 6, Greaaat
10. Growing Up is Hard to Do
9. Daring Doubt
8. Dragon Dropped
7. The Ending of the End, Part 1
6. The Ending of the End, Part 2
5. She Talks to Angel
4. The Last Laugh
3. The Big Mac Question
2. The Summer Sun Setback
1. The Last Problem

And now we'll see how these episodes compare to all other episodes of the same number from previous seasons (not counting Season 3 since it didn't get a second half), in the first half Season 9 held the lead with 4 points, but did it somehow let it slip away in the second half? Let's find out, and Here's the first half, from back in June in case you need a refresher or want to see what scored points for Season 9 in the first half. Each episode victory gives a point to its respective season (or in some cases two points if we do two episodes back to back).

14. Suited for Success v.s. The Last Roundup v.s. Filli Vanilli v.s. Canterlot Boutique v.s. Stranger Than Fanfiction v.s. Fame and Misfortune v.s. A Matter of Principals v.s. The Last Laugh
The winner is: Stranger Than Fanfiction. The Last Laugh put up a fight, no doubt about it, but it ultimately gets held back a bit by Pinkie's sudden doubts about her destiny or her purpose in life even though she's had the most to do out of any mane six/seven/eight member. Plus, the episode offers a very serious look at depression that is clearly not playing to the show's strengths. Stranger Than Fanfiction brought the laughs and meta humor in spades, but also showed a great deal of respect and appreciation for the fandom and for critics, acknowledging how different view points can be tolerated even if you don't agree with them.

15. Feeling Pinkie Keen v.s. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 v.s. Twilight Time v.s. Scare Master v.s. The Cart Before the Ponies v.s. Triple Threat v.s. The Hearth's Warming Club v.s. 2 ,4, 6, Greaaat
The winner is (no contest): The Hearth's Warming Club. 2, 4, ,6 Greaaat really feels like a hold over script from Season 8, even down to the student six being along for the ride and the only sane ones while the mane six member of focus is made to look really bad. Though not the worst outing for Rainbow Dash's character it's still a major step backwards for her, though blame also falls on Twilight for sticking Rainbow Dash with a job she didn't want and had no desire to learn how to do. Of course Rainbow would do a half arsed job, you gave her no reason to care about it and put her into a job she had zero qualifications for just to teach some kind of "lesson". A shame too, because until the finale this was really the most we'd get to see of any of the student six from here on out. The Heart's Warming Club, by contrast, gave most of the student six development they sorely needed, especially with Gallus who revealed himself to be an orphan. And compared to most other outings focused on the school, our mane six members of focus didn't look like idiots or jerks. Sandbar and Smolder didn't get the best portrayals here though, Sandbar still looked bland and Smolder kind of regressed.

16. Sonic Rainboom v.s. Read It and Weep v.s. It Ain't Easy Being Breezies v.s. Rarity Investigates! v.s. 28 Pranks Later v.s. Campfire Tales v.s. Friendship University v.s. a Trivial Pursuit
The winner is (no contest): Sonic Rainboom. In the only victory for Season 1 in terms of episodes (not to say that it didn't have other episodes that were worth watching because it did, it's just that many of them have been outclassed in their particular order placements) we got our first true look into Rainbow Dash's character and what makes her tick. There are those who still consider this perhaps the best episode of the entire show, and it's usually a top ten contender on many people's lists. The episode that everyone remembers, even if Rarity becoming an antagonist later into the story hurt her character only two episodes after her big breakout. A Trivial Pursuit is guaranteed to be forgotten to time, it offers nothing but meme worthy faces which we could easily get in better episodes. And the story sees Twilight sink to an unbelievable low by pulling fouls out of her rear end and getting Pinkie disqualified on purpose because she's so desperate to win. You'd expect that from Rainbow Dash or even Applejack, not from the "Princess of Friendship".

17. Stare Master v.s. Hearts and Hooves Day v.s. Somepony to Watch Over Me v.s. Made in Manehattan v.s. The Times They Are a Changeling v.s. Daring Done? v.s. The End in Friend v.s. The Summer Sun Setback
The winner is: The Summer Sun Setback. Breaking the tie vote from last season (Daring Done? and The End in Friend tied each other here) this episode was a much needed breath of fresh air for Twilight's character after the previous episode had seen her sink to a low you never thought possible. Maybe they did it intentionally to make this episode stronger, because seeing Twilight actually stay calm and not freak out for once was an excellent and welcome change. The Legion of Doom's subplot was entertaining, despite how easily the new security systems in Canterlot were thwarted. And for once the princesses got to do something beside bicker, get captured, or spout exposition. Admittedly, the twist about Grogar hurts this episode a little, but not enough to ruin everything else this episode got right. No other episode could truly come close to something like this.

18. The Show Stoppers v.s. A Friend in Deed v.s. Trade Ya! v.s. Brotherhooves Social v.s. Dungeons and Discords v.s. A Health of Information v.s. Yakity Sax v.s. She Talks to Angel
The winner is (in a close contest): Dungeons and Discords. She Talks to Angel had great comedy and showed off Fluttershy's character growth pretty well, but it does follow the "Freaky Friday" body swap plot to the letter and doesn't really try to put its own spin on it like the show's done with lots of other stock plots. So it really came down to Brotherhooves Social and Dungeons and Discords, and the latter edges past just slightly on account of it being the first guys centered episode of the entire show, unknowingly setting up a trilogy that would give us some interesting developments. As great as Brotherhooves Social is, especially towards the end, Apple Bloom can come across as a bit whiny and ungrateful.

19. A Dog and Pony Show v.s. Putting Your Hoof Down v.s. Maud Pie v.s. Crusaders of the Lost Mark v.s. The Fault in Our Cutie Marks v.s. To Change a Changeling v.s. Road to Friendship v.s. Dragon Dropped
The winner is (no contest): Crusaders of the Lost Mark. Dragon Dropped probably didn't stand a chance to begin with when competing against a lot of fan favorite episodes and/or strongly written episodes, but that doesn't excuse it from not seeming to try. For some reason they treat GabbyxSpike as a friendship even though it couldn't be more clear that it's a romantic relationship (even if it's just a crush it's clear that Spike has moved on from his feelings for Rarity), and it feels like it's going through the motions a lot, especially with Rarity's scenes. Crusaders of the Lost Mark does have some flaws, both in hindsight with it being the last time Diamond Tiara got to do anything on-screen, and at the time with the sudden revelation of Spoiled Rich that could've been given a lot sooner. But the episode did so much right, they sold us on Diamond Tiara's change of heart and made us actually want to root for her when the Cutie Mark Crusaders help her out. Giving the CMC their cutie marks was just the icing on the cake, even if in terms of character arc they peaked there (kind of like how Gohan peaked at SSJ2 as a teen and it would take until the Tournament of Power for him to truly surpass his limits for good).

20. Green Isn't Your Color v.s. It's About Time v.s. For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils v.s. Hearthbreakers v.s. Buckball Season v.s. It Isn't The Mane Thing About You v.s. The Washouts v.s. A Horse Shoe-In
The winner is (no contest): For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils. Of the LunaxCMC episodes, For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils is easily the best. They establish it early on, give both sides something to relate to, and tie Sweetie Belle's dilemma to Luna in a way that truly justifies her getting involved. Even the bad future can be easily explained away as Luna's intent to scare Sweetie Belle into fixing her mistake, it's not necessarily what will happen but the intent is to make Sweetie think that it will. A Horse Shoe-In by contrast makes Trixie sink to levels not seen since "All Bottled Up" where she is completely oblivious to reality and yet Starlight is the one who has to apologize. Although we do get some hints of character growth for Starlight, it's overshadowed by the cop out ending where Octavia and Doctor Whooves back out because the plot says so, and they pull Sunburst out of nowhere and Trixie still get rewarded in the end.

21. Over a Barrel v.s. Dragon Quest v.s. Leap of Faith v.s. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows v.s. Every Little Thing She Does v.s. Once Upon a Zeppelin v.s. A Rockhoof and a Hard Place v.s. Daring Doubt
The winner is: Once Upon a Zeppelin. This is one of those cases where there is no clear favorite, every episode has something that could potentially help or hinder it, but Once Upon a Zeppelin is one almost without flaw. It was the last time Twilight's character was defined for the better instead of the worse, and ironically it came out just after the movie which struggled to define what her character was (is she the cynic who must be proven wrong, or is she the only sane one who's trying to keep the group from making stupid mistakes? It tries to do both and leaves her stuck in an uncomfortable middle ground). There's no real freakouts for Twilight, organization is only briefly mentioned, and her break down is actually pretty low key but meaningful. On top of that we get to see her family, particularly Night Light and Twilight Velvet who prove to be a fantastic couple and pretty good parents (Velvet especially with how concerned she seems to be about Twilight and Shining). Daring Doubt is really undermined by Ahuizotl's reformation, it completely contradicts everything we've known about him before, and the episode up to that point has had Fluttershy be unbelievably stupid by taking Caballeron at his word despite knowing all that he's done. One unwanted reformation is bad enough, two in the same episode (particularly when they're poorly done) is pushing it.

22. A Bird in the Hoof v.s. Hurricane Fluttershy v.s. Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 v.s. What About Discord? v.s. P.P.O.V (Pony Point of View) v.s. Marks and Recreation v.s. What Lies Beneath v.s. Growing Up is Hard to Do
The winner is (in a close contest): What Lies Beneath. Growing Up is Hard to Do apparently wanted to age up the CMC permanetly and was meant to take place much sooner in the show than when it did, not that it would've magically made all its problems disappear. The episode would've still been predictable if they'd kept the story the same, and its placement towards the end of the show felt like a step backward for the CMC's character arc. What Lies Beneath had to get past Hurricane Fluttershy which put up quite a fight, but What Lies Beneath did so much right. It developed the student six (even Sandbar got a little bit of development as we got to see his heroic side), particularly Silverstream whose fear of the Storm King put her character's previous behavior into perspective. And let's not forget the ship fuel for GallusStream, though it does irk me that the student six got to meet the Tree of Harmony personally and the mane six never did.

23. The Cutie Mark Chronicles v.s. Ponyville Confidential v.s. Inspiration Manifestation v.s. The Hooffields and McColts v.s. Where The Apple Lies v.s. Secrets and Pies v.s. Sounds of Silence v.s. The Big Mac Question
The winner is: The Big Mac Question. Except for Secrets and Pies which was insulting, disgusting, and brought several characters down to very bad levels, none of the episodes here were really bad (though Where The Apple Lies and Sounds of Silence were medicore at best). The Big Mac Question though, despite it seeming to cut corners in some places (especially with the CMC's subplot) managed to deliver something we'd been longing for since Sugar Belle moved to Ponyville in Season 8. The focus wasn't on the wedding itself as much as it was the proposal, and Spike and the CMC got the chance to go out on a high note for their final focus episodes (the same couldn't be said for Discord unfortunately). Ultimately, especially with how emotional this episode got towards the end I had to give the point to it.

24. and 25. Owl's Well that Ends Well and Party of One v.s. MMMystery on the Friendship Express and a Canterlot Wedding Part 1 v.s. Equestria Games and Twilight's Kingdom Part 1 v.s. The Mane Attraction and The Cutie Re-Mark Part 1 v.s. Top Bolt and To Where and Back Again Part 1 v.s. Uncommon Bond and Shadow Play Part 1 v.s. Father Knows Beast and School Raze Part 1 v.s. The Ending of the End Parts 1 and 2
The winner is: Uncommon Bond and Shadow Play Part 1. The Ending of the End gets really bogged down by how beyond stupid the Discord plot twist is and how he never truly makes up for his stupidity by bringing back the antagonists, which in turn overshadows the better moments including the final battle. Even if Uncommon Bond only looses ties to Shadow Play in terms of explaining where Sunburst got the journal from (and his kinship with Twilight over ancient history of Equestria) it still feels like a better connection for a better two parter finale than The Ending of the End. Looking back, Shadow Play does show some of the cracks that would plague Seasons 8 and 9, particularly Twilight not listening when others try to tell her about something, Twilight obsessing over something, and the voice of reason being ignored (even Sunburst is against Starlight even though you'd expect him to take her side). But it makes up for it by giving the pillars a chance to shine alongside the mane six, not just because of the mane six.

26. The Best Night Ever v.s. A Canterlot Wedding Part 2 v.s. Twilight's Kingdom Part 2 v.s. The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2 v.s. To Where and Back Again Part 2 v.s. Shadow Play Part 2 v.s. School Raze Part 2 v.s. The Last Problem
The winner is (no contest): The Last Problem. Only The Best Night Ever can truly compare for a solo finale in a twenty six episode season, and it was overshadowed by what had come before it and trying to subvert expectations. All the rest before The Last Problem are a continuation of what came before, and on their own they don't hold up the greatest (Shadow Play comes the closest but even that would have you wondering how things got to where they were). The Last Problem is probably boosted a little by the fanservice and being the final episode of the show, but it just did so much right. It was so beautiful, so moving, and the flashback to Twilight before her coronation and the aftermath of it was so well done. It just couldn't be ignored.

And now to tally up the points: Season 1 - 1 point, Season 2 - 1 point, Season 3 - 1 point, Season 4 - 4 points, Season 5 - 2 points, Season 6 - 3 points, Season 7 - 4 points, Season 8 - 3 points, Season 9 - 7 points. So it seems Season 9 edges past Seasons 4 and 7 7 points to 4 even though The Ending of the End hurts Season 9, and Seasons 6 and 8 tie for third with 3 points each, while Season 5 limps along with 2 points, and Seasons 1-3 are all in last with 1 point each. However, I find that Season 9's second half really hurts it, if we were comparing it to just Season 7 it would only score 5 points while Season 7 would get 8 points, meaning that Season 7 would win 14 to 12. And you can be sure that it's because of The Ending of the End and stuff like 2, 4, 6 Greaaat and A Trivial Pursuit. Season 9 was front loaded with fanservice, but when it dried up in the second half the flaws became more prevelant, and ultimately it loses out to Season 7 because of that, as well as losing out to Season 5 since when Season 5 hit it really hit whereas Season 9 often seemed to be known more for its failures than its successes (so Season 9 is actually third best season for me, it tried but it ultimately fell just short of topping Season 7 for best season).

And there you have it, come back tonight when we'll rank all 222 episodes of the show from worst to best.

Comments

[superfun]

My picks (though some of these might change later on when I rewatch the series eventually):
Episode 14: Suited for Success vs The Last Roundup vs Filli Vanilli vs Canterlot Boutique vs Stranger than Fanfiction vs Fame and Misfortune vs A Matter of Principals vs The Last Laugh: 
Winner: A Matter of Principals. This was just the most entertaining, which feels kind of disappointing considering who was involved The Last Laugh

Episode 15: Feeling Pinkie Keen vs The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 vs Twilight Time vs Scare Master vs The Cart Before The Ponies vs Triple Threat vs The Hearth’s Warming Club vs 2, 4, 6, Greaaat 
Winner: The Hearth’s Warming Club. While I enjoy these episodes more than most, I admit that it’s a pretty weak field overall.

Episode 16: Sonic Rainboom vs Read It And Weep vs It Ain't Easy Being Breezies vs Rarity Investigates vs 28 Pranks Later vs Campfire Tales vs Friendship University vs A Trivial Problem 
Winner: A Trivial Problem. The most over-the top facial expressions in the entire series, and I love it for that.

Episode 17: Stare Master vs Hearts And Hooves Day vs Somepony To Watch Over Me vs Made In Manehattan vs The Times They Are A Changeling vs Daring Done vs The End in Friend vs Summer Sun Setback 
Winner: Summer Sun Setback. While not QUITE as fun as Frenemies, it was still a pretty fantastic time.

Episode 18: The Show Stoppers vs A Friend In Deed vs Maud Pie vs Brotherhooves Social vs Dungeons and Discord vs A Health of Information vs Yakity-Sax vs She Talks to Angel 
Winner: Brotherhooves Social. It’s the most feels-heavy of the group, while also being the funniest.

Episode 19: A Dog and Pony Show vs Putting Your Hoof Down vs Trade Ya! vs Crusaders Of The Lost Mark vs Buckball Season vs To Change a Changeling vs On the Road to Friendship vs Dragon Dropped 
Winner: Crusaders of the Lost Mark. It’s pretty much no contest, even though I do really love On the Road to Friendship.

Episode 20: Green Isn't Your Color vs It's About Time vs For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils vs Hearthbreakers vs Viva Las Pegasus vs It Isn’t the Mane Thing About You vs The Washouts vs A Horse Shoe-In 
Winner: A Horse Shoe-In. It’s the most fun of the set.

Episode 21: Over A Barrel vs Dragon Quest vs Leap Of Faith vs The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows vs Every Little Thing She Does vs Once Upon a Zeppelin vs A Rockhoof and a Hard Place vs Daring Doubt 
Winner: Every Little Thing She Does. It’s the funniest of the set.

Episode 22: A Bird In The Hoof vs Hurricane Fluttershy vs Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 vs What About Discord? vs P.P.O.V (Pony Point Of View) vs Marks and Recreation vs What Lies Beneath vs Growing Up is Hard to Do 
Winner: What Lies Beneath. It’s a close call, but Growing Up is Hard to Do just BARELY loses out.

Episode 23: Cutie Mark Chronicles vs Ponyville Confidential vs Inspiration Manifestation vs The Hooffelds and McColts vs Where The Apple Lies vs Secrets and Pies vs Sounds of Silence vs The Big Mac Question: 
Winner: The Big Mac Question. It’s just SO sweet

Episodes 24 and 25: Owl's Well that Ends Well and Party of One vs MMMystery on the Friendship Express and a Canterlot Wedding Part 1 vs Equestria Games and Twilight's Kingdom Part 1 vs The Mane Attraction and The Cutie Re-Mark Part 1 vs Top Bolt and To Where and Back Again Part 1 vs Uncommon Bond and Shadow Play Part 1 vs Father Knows Beast and School Raze Part 1 vs The Ending of the End
Winner: Ending of the End. Kind of an unfair advantage considering, but it’s the pair of episodes I’d go back to the most. And the final battle is just awesome. Plus, Cozy Glow is just amazing

Episode 26: The Best Night Ever vs A Canterlot Wedding Part 2 vs Twilight's Kingdom Part 2 vs The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2 vs To Where and Back Again Part 2 vs Shadow Play Part 2 vs School Raze Part 2 vs The Last Problem
Winner: The Last Problem. While the second half for the other two-parters is great, this was just the perfect capper for everything.

So for the second half for me it's:
9 with 7
8 with 3
5 with 2
6 with 1
And no other season gets any point.

And overall it's:
9 with 14
8 and 5 with 4 each
7 and 6 with 2 each
And seasons 1-4 have no points.

Though, despite what the numbers say, I still consider seasons 6 and 7 better than season 5. Mostly because of Starlight

For me, while I would probably go back to a few more episodes from the first half, I do like the second half of season 9 quite a bit, with the last few episodes giving it an even bigger edge overall.

Like I said on a previous blog of yours, season 9 is by far the most consistent for me.
Even it's weaker episodes are dull at worst, like seasons 6 and 7, but its best episodes are amazing.