Ranking the Two Parters (From Worst to Best), Version 2 · 3:37am Oct 15th, 2019
With Season 9 giving us two more two parters this list was due for an update. Some two parters were definitely stronger than others, and I'm sure you're all curious where Season 9's ended up and whether any other two parters changed position at all and if so for the better or for the worse. The same disclaimers as always apply, and we're looking at the overall two parters with both parts considered for the same spot. Here's the first version, from March.
15. School Raze Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is worse than Part 1) (Season 8, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it stayed on the bottom: This entire two parter is full of jumbled up, mixed up, messed up ideas that it's trying to fit together and doing so very poorly. Everything is done solely to get all relevant or powerful characters out of the picture as soon as possible regardless of whether it makes sense. And all for the sake of giving the underdeveloped student six the spotlight. On top of all that this is the only two parter since Starlight was added to the cast that couldn't think of anything to do with her, they just throw her into the bubble of silence and that's it. Heck, it even ends like it knows there's another season coming so they don't have to worry about having an ending scene that could serve as a stopping point for the show. It barely even connects to the theme at the start of Season 8, it just dumps Cozy Glow into Tartarus and that's it.
14. The Return of Harmony Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is worse than Part 1) (Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it stayed just above the bottom: Well, now we know what Lauren Faust's original intentions were with this two parter and with Discord as a character. It all stems back to her big plans for the show when she was hoping for an action based show and not the slice of life one we got. There was going to be a bunch of dark element bearers that would build to Discord, a threat that even Celestia couldn't defeat. Twilight would defeat him, ascend to alicornhood, and replace Celestia just like that. Heck, they didn't even know what Discord's character was beyond him being an antagonist and it's remarkable how quickly they turned him into what he was. It's just too bad that they didn't think to delay this two parter while they made more changes, because it is very fast paced and now I think I know why, it was a rushed job of conversion. And looking back on Discord's overall arc, it seems like he never truly stopped being an antagonist, he just never again directly caused chaos and instead tried to "help" in his own twisted way (i.e. being an antagonist in all but name).
13. The Cutie Re-Mark Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is worse than Part 1) (Season 5, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it stayed in the bottom three: I wonder if that "Cutie Mark Magic" toyline that was popping up everywhere prior to this episode was meant to play a role in this finale originally, but when Josh Haber got handed the task of writing the plot that would reform Starlight he decided to toss it? Or maybe "Cutie Mark Magic" was never meant to tie into the show at all? I bring this up because the CMC getting their cutie marks all at once was made a big deal here, but it was window dressing that had nothing to do with the actual plot. Heck, even the alternate timelines just feel like they're there for the sake of being there, only the Sombra timeline gets any real development because we stay in it long enough to know what's different. Aside from that it's all about Twilight and Starlight's feud across time, which has Starlight plot armored and Twilight slow on the uptake longer than should be forgivable. Even if Starlight's redemption ultimately did work out for the best, at the time her backstory looked flimsy and it didn't seem like she'd truly learned her lesson, to say nothing of how it looked like she got off the hook for what should've been very serious crimes.
12. Friendship is Magic Parts 1 and 2 (Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it stayed low: Pilots are never the best episodes of a show and this is no exception, there's so much the pilot has to establish: The characters, the lore, the rules of the world, and any reoccurring themes. It is actually interesting how the show evolved from the recently revealed test pilot that was shown in 2009, this pilot seemed like a bit of a blend of Lauren Faust's vision for the show and the slice of life nature we'd get later on. However, Nightmare Moon has no real presence or connection to our heroes until the climax when she fights Twilight. Even when she sets up the trials she is doing them indirectly, some of them even seem unintentional. And a lot of the characters here would take time to grow into what we now know them for. I do like Tabitha St. Germain's voice for Nightmare Moon here though, not exactly sure why she didn't keep it for subsequent appearances but my guess is the voice director told her to change it (the voice here really makes Nightmare Moon sound like more of her own entity and not just an evil Luna, she even kind of harpens back to Maleficent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty with her mannerisms).
11. The Crystalling Parts 1 and 2 (Season 6, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it stayed in the bottom five: I really struggled to decide whether this two parter should stay where it is or move up a notch, but ultimately I think it deserves to remain here because the two parters almost don't connect at all. If not for what happens at the end of Part 1 you'd think you were seeing two entirely different episodes that were combined together for the premiere. Reformed Starlight Glimmer actually ends up being the least drama inducing thing about this whole premiere even in Part 1, that honor goes to Flurry Heart who breaks the rules of the show's lore and the writers basically admit they don't have a clue how it make sense so they're not gonna bother to explain it. Then from there we have Starlight meeting Sunburst, but for the most part we just have it be all about Flurry Heart and how special and crazy strong she is (along with way too many jokes at Shining's expense at how ill prepared he is). Then Part 2 shoots itself in the foot by adding in more plots on top of the ones we already have: Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack trying to get the crystal ponies to go indoors, and Celestia and Luna trying to hold back the Frozen North's blizzards. Both of them are quickly forgotten and just rob us of time that could've gone to the actual plots of importance: Fixing the Crystal Heart and rekindling the friendship with Sunburst. The uneven nature of this whole two parter is what hurts it and holds it back.
10. The Ending of the End Parts 1 and 2 (Season 9, Episodes 24 and 25)
Why it's in the bottom ten: So after all that they decided not to actually go with Grogar and to set up a twist with his identity that basically undermines Discord's entire redemption arc in the worst possible way. Discord's sheer stupidity overshadows so much of this whole two parter. If Discord hadn't thought to do what he did here everything would've been just fine, no one asked for his help and it was suicidal of him to have no contingency in place when working with the villains. What he have done if Twilight failed to defeat them or even died trying? Would he have just said "My bad" and left it at that? I know I keep bringing it up but it's really something that should've been considered when they were planning that twist. Why tease fans with something they had wanted to see if you weren't actually going to give it to them? What makes things even worse is how the Legion of Doom become so overpowered thanks to Discord, and yet we never learn anything about Cozy Glow to justify what happens to her. I mean heck, she actually seemed like she was trying to understand friendship in a misguided way. And if they let her have all that power she was likely gonna take out Chrysalis and Tirek, so why not let her do that and then take the bell from her while she's distracted or drunk on power? I know there are good things about this two parter, especially the final battle and even the brief scene of Pinkie Pie gaining Discord's chaotic powers, as well as Applejack's pep talk to Twilight. But they just get overshadowed so easily by all the bad writing decisions. And having a child get turned to stone thus suffering a fate worse than death, while the one responsible for endangering everyone with his stupidity gets off with zero consequences besides a stern talking to, it just makes morality look screwed up and very protagonist centered (it's not okay for Discord to be turned to stone because he's a good guy, but it's totally okay to do it to the bad guys). If they had snuck Twilight's coronation into the end of this two parter and then called it at that, this two parter probably would've been on the bottom. I am so glad they didn't make this the very last episode of the show.
9. School Daze Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is worse than Part 1) (Season 8, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it moved down: Dragonwarlock on DeviantArt is probably summing it up best when he describes this two parter as "Twilight Sparkle v.s. Bureaucracy", the EEA and Chancellor Neighsay are the obvious figureheads in power that don't actually know what's best and must be proven wrong. Heck, with Neighsay's bigoted ways it feels like they were trying to score brownie points with the PC crowd by not so subtlely jabbing at the current U.S. president, and regardless of how you may feel about him I don't think anyone wanted the show to get involved in that kind of flame war. Or maybe I'm looking too deeply into things since the script was likely finalized before the 2016 presidential election. Either way, Part 2 is handicapped by it being yet another Twilight freaking out plot after the first part had her not listening to her friends even when they told her the school wasn't working (and Tara Strong really underperforms in Twilight's breakdown, heck one line makes it sound like she has a cold. Maybe she was under the weather during recording and couldn't emote as well? It wouldn't be the first time that happened), and by the leaders being willing to go to war even when we know the student six aren't in any danger. Heck, when they try to put the student six in danger it falls flat because we're not told why these new creatures are so dangerous. Which is a shame because some moments indicate that the writers knew of some of the criticism that the School of Friendship would have as a concept, and it seemed like they were trying their best to acknowledge those flaws. But this was a not so great start to what would be a troubled season, and if the leaks are to believed the writers were forced to do the school by Hasbro. So maybe this was their attempt to try to get Hasbro to reconsider its decision?
8. To Where and Back Again Parts 1 and 2 (Season 6, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it stayed the same: Part 1 is very obviously the set up, a very clunky set up at that. And it doesn't help that Starlight had only really interacted with Trixie before, she only saw Thorax with Spike and we never got an episode of her and Discord together. It kind of feels like this was meant to be a Spike episode, and the only reason why it wasn't is because of Trixie and the fact that Spike never interacted with her at all. Plus they wanted to give Starlight special treatment and try to give her redemption arc some closure. It did kind of work but at the same time it still irks me that Starlight got a finale to herself when none of the other main characters did besides Twilight. The Cutie Mark Crusaders really deserved one, and surely a finale centered on the rest of the mane six without Twilight could've worked with the right script and writer. Oh well, it is what it is. Chrysalis' return was a little bit surprising, but they did parallel her path with Starlight's and Starlight did get a chance to grow a little here. Heck, Discord and Trixie did the first truly selfless things they had ever done since becoming reformed by sacrificing themselves (unintentionally in Discord's case) to protect Starlight and Thorax. But Rainbow Dash points out how this wouldn't have worked for a series finale, this was something they could only do if they were sure there would be another season to follow. Which is telling when this was the first finale since Season 1 not to have a song at the end.
7. Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 and 2 (Season 4, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it moved down: It really moved down since there's one more two parter yet to be added to the list and room had to be made. By now I've made it no secret that as great as this episode is I don't quite agree with those considered this the peak of the show and where it should've stopped. Like every other episode of Season 4 there are writing decisions and other things that make this feel like a first draft rather than the most polished take. The biggest issue is how everything is clearly building to the DBZ-esque fight between Twilight and Tirek (who was a last minute change when they originally planned to use The Pony of Shadows, Tirek was a way to celebrate the MLP franchise's 30th anniversary), even Discord is just there to get things to that point. And the entire first part struggles with deciding whose story we're going to follow: Twilight proving her worth as a princess, or Discord cementing his redemption by hunting down Tirek. When they choose to focus on the former the latter gets tossed aside and Discord's betrayal doesn't really get followed up on like it should (it seems to just get swept under the rug). Tirek is also a bit of a villain sue, even though it is interesting to see him change from subtle manipulation to physically engaging his enemies (along with his voice changing to reflect that). It's great, but it's not that great. It's not the finale to end all finales or the two parter to end all two parters.
6. The Crystal Empire Parts 1 and 2 (Part 2 is worse than Part 1) (Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it moved down: It was kind of hard to decide if it should stay in the top five or not, but while I appreciate this two parter for trying something I'll admit that it didn't work the greatest. One of the biggest problems is how it tries to fit the mane six's personalities into the story, but it doesn't integrate them in the best way and makes some feel out of place (Rarity and Applejack especially). And after Part 2 opens up by hastily resolving the cliffhanger from Part 1, it makes a very big mistake by constantly jumping back and forth between the emotionally investing A plot with Twilight and Spike, and the comedic B plot of the rest of the mane six trying to keep the crystal ponies happy which again struggles to fit the personalities to the story. King Sombra is intended to be a departure from generic villains and he mostly succeeds, but a lack of personality and presence can at times make him feel like a natural disaster or an obstacle instead of a character. However, it's Shining Armor and Cadence struggle the most here. The empire is meant to be theirs, but they don't do much to really take leadership of it until the end. And even then it feels like their roles got swapped (Shining is supposed to be casting the shield spell and Cadence is supposed to keeping the crystal ponies spirits up). I do think Celestia would've stepped in if Twilight had failed, but no clarification on that can make her decision to test Twilight here seem irresponsible and reckless. Spike is probably what really carries this two parter, he is by Twilight's side from the beginning, and when we get to his worst fear we expect it to be something trivial or silly (like say Rarity not returning his feelings for her), but they play it seriously by having his worst fear be that Twilight will send him away and no longer need him. From there he never looks back and gets a chance to be the hero for a change, even if he nearly blows it while escaping from the tower. Ultimately, the flaws held it back from the top five while a new two parter would join the ranks.
5. The Beginning of the End Parts 1 and 2 (Season 9, Episode 1 and 2)
Why it's in the top five: Even if at times it can feel like it's repeating beats from previous premieres (most especially "The Crystal Empire" and "Princess Twilight Sparkle") this two parter indicated early on that Season 9 was going to be a step up from Season 8. While the princesses retiring was definitely a tough sell, it's nice that they didn't rush into it here like they seemed likely to do originally. And the lampshading in the first part was pretty well done. Grogar, prior to knowledge of the twist about him, seemed like an interesting character to serve as the final big bad and the one to bring all previous un-reformed villains together. But admittedly, Sombra's return weakens his character by turning him into the generic villain he was meant to be a departure from, and when the show is trying to wean the mane six off of depending on the princesses this is when they most need the help of others to save the day (the princesses, the pillars, Spike, and Discord). This time though, Sombra is indeed killed off for real. Ultimately, despite some moments that were less than stellar, this two parter kicked off the final season in grand fashion and got us interested in what lay ahead.
4. A Canterlot Wedding Parts 1 and 2 (Season 2, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it stayed the same: Once again the list is the same from here on out, so if you saw the original version of the list you can just skip to the end and you won't miss much. Princess Cadence was originally meant to just be a unicorn, and her being made into an alicorn was the straw that broke the camel's back for Lauren Faust and ultimately made her leave the show. Kind of ironic that Hasbro did all that only to then not know what to do with the princess they had pushed so hard for, a problem they would repeat a few more times throughout the show (most noticeably Twilight's castle and the School of Friendship). These two characters being introduced to us out of the blue was definitely a leap, and I've seen people who still don't like this two parter. There's no denying that alongside "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well" it was the one that launched the most accusations fics and rewrites (there's even an entire group dedicated to accusations and call outs over what went down in this two parter). But aside from that infamous accusation scene where only Shining Armor and maybe Princess Celestia had valid reasons to get mad with Twilight and cast her out, I think this two parter gets a lot of undue flack. Queen Chrysalis was a pretty clever villain for her first debut, and since this was the first time we saw Princess Celestia get defeated (and hey, she actually put up a fight) it wasn't as disappointing as it would become when they kept repeating it in later seasons (kind of like how Ash's Pikachu keeps getting its power level reset for the most ridiculous of reasons). And while the new characters were ultimately the ones to save the day, the mane six still got their chance to shine with that epic fight scene. Interestingly, this is still the only two parter where Andrea Libman doesn't voice Fluttershy (Fluttershy has no speaking lines in Part 2 for unknown reasons), no word on why that was.
3. Shadow Play Parts 1 and 2 (Season 7, Episodes 25 and 26)
Why it stayed in the top three: Even though the cracks are easier to notice now, this two parter still holds up surprisingly well. It does make sense for Twilight to get tunnel vision here, and her arguments aren't completely without logic. The Pony of Shadows and its ties to the pillars through Stygian was a nice touch, even if Stygian's decision that got him cast out was really stupid on his part (he took items the pillars cherished or needed for their line of work for an unspecified spell and left no clues to his intentions, all while we assume he never tried to communicate his desire to the pillars, what were the pillars supposed to think in that situation when they caught him?). Despite Starswirl clearly existing to be proven wrong and despite Starlight's role being overplayed (particularly how everyone keeps picking on her and ignoring her), there's so many things this two parter did right. The biggest one is the pillars and how they interact with the mane six, tying them to the Elements of Harmony helped fill in the final gaps in the show's lore (just needed to explain about how Celestia and Luna became alicorns and we'd have been golden). In terms of finales this one was the best, and as I said in my finales ranking journal it's possible that this could've been expanded into a special or made for t.v. movie with some epicifying (think "The Best Gift Ever" or "Rainbow Roadtrip" before either of those were a thing). But the cracks I've talked about are a big part of why this two parter isn't the definitive one, even though I'd argue the overall quality of the show's writing peaked here (even at its best Season 9 could feel rushed and the highs didn't stand out as often compared to the lows).
2. The Cutie Map a.k.a Cutie Markless Parts 1 and 2 (Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it stayed just outside the top: The insanely long hiatus and change in story editor from Meghan McCarthy to M. A. Larson are probably part of what helped to make this two parter stand out so greatly and made it such a strong contender. This was really a group mission, a team effort. Each of the mane six contributed something of merit or substance, even if it was just showing how their disagreements wouldn't break the bond of friendship they shared with the others. Starlight Glimmer worked wonders as an antagonist here because she was a threat hidden in plain sight, one that you couldn't see coming (and most real life dictators are like that, you can't tell just by looking at them or their policies that they will become what they are). But unlike other works that assume a powerless leader is no threat when the ruse is exposed, this one shows that Starlight still was a danger and thwarting her equality cult wasn't the end. There is still the weird detail of Night Glider not being named on-screen, and even if it's not to an alarming degree the mane six do feel a bit nerfed here (it's understandable why they are, they were there to inspire the equal four to step up and be the heroes). Thus it ultimately falls just shy of the number one pick, which by now you should probably all know.
1. Princess Twilight Sparkle Parts 1 and 2 (Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2)
Why it stayed on the top: This really feels like a second or third pilot (depending on what you wanna count) for the show, the start of G4.5 you might say. This two parter had a lot to prove after Season 3 and "Equestria Girls" and it proved that it was more than up to the task. It could work with Twilight's new title and alicornhood, as well as Discord's reformation. Heck, I daresay this is the only time him being a trickster mentor actually worked. Think about it, he had no obligation to tell Twilight what she was doing wrong. Even assuming he forgot about the plunder seeds and didn't recognize the vines right away, he would've benefited from Twilight staying in Ponyville and not being able to rescue the Tree of Harmony with the others. By encouraging her to go back into the Everfree Forest he was essentially dooming his long delayed revenge plot to failure, and he had no way to know that it would only be achieved by Twilight giving up the Elements of Harmony. On top of all that we had our first looks into the past, as we got to see past villains instead of a new one, and we got to see some of the tough choices Princess Celestia had to make. Not to mention how it teased us with the possibility of a season long hunt for the keys only to back off on that after the next episode. So for all those reasons it stays in the top spot by a good margin.
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we'll update the ranking for the mane eight (keep in mind that it will not an overall one, that one is on my DeviantArt account and I'll link you all to the appropriate journal there).
My ranking:
For me, it's (subjectively, I don't think this is actually the worst-best):
14. School Raze
13. The Crystalling
12. To Where and Back Again
11. The Cutie Map
10. School Raze
9. The Ending of the End
8. The Return of Harmony
7. The Beginning of the End
6. Shadow Play
5. The Cutie Re-Mark
4. Princess Twilight Sparkle
3. The Crystal Empire
2. Twilight's Kingdom
1. A Canterlot Wedding
14 - Decent-Good
13 - Great
12-5 - Amazing
4-1 - Masterful