My Review of MLP: FIM Best Gift Ever · 9:59pm Aug 22nd, 2020
Grading Scale:
A (fantastic episode)
A- (an excellent episode with at least one flaw)
B+ (a great episode with a couple of flaws)
B (a good episode which still could have been better)
B- (a good episode with numerous flaws but still rewatchable)
C+ (a decent episode)
C (eh... it’s not terrible but not good either)
C- (it’s not worth rewatching although it does have good elements)
D+ (a bad episode with a few good things in it)
D (a really bad episode with wasted potential)
D- (a terrible episode with badly written characters and butchered moral)
F (horrible and unwatchable)
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Greetings. Here is my review of Best Gift Ever. Honestly, had I known sooner that this episode takes place during season 9, I would’ve made this review a lot earlier. But hey, it’s better than never. Anyway, this 44 minute special was quite a nice treat to watch; it is actually a very comforting episode about the friendship being the best gift of all. While there were moments that were quite cringeworthy and awkward, it is still a fun episode to look at. So let’s get right into it:
The episode begins with its first song about Hearthswarming Eve and everypony getting ready for its grand celebration. Then we see Spike and the Mane Six getting together as Applejack proposes a game in which each of them gets a folded card that has the name of one pony that the holder must give a present for. So they set on to their goals whereas we see Spike trying to get something for Rarity. He then opens the card to see that her name is not on the card. (Gasp) Oh no! He has to do something about it!
He trades cards with Fluttershy after asking Applejack if it’s okay to trade cards and getting her unwitting approval. So this adventure had its twists and turns until it eventually turned into separate subplots for the main characters. Oh, and I cannot forget to mention Flim and Flam... the same guys who are arch rivals of Applejack. By the way, this is the last time they have their speaking appearance in this series; never mind their non-speaking cameo appearance in the series finale because this is their last shot at Applejack and Fluttershy. They were... decent in this episode. It’s a shame they never had their actual episode in this ninth season—wait, this does take place during season 9... never mind!
Later on, we have a subplot of Discord and Rainbow meeting together to present a valuable gift to Fluttershy. Hey, what do you know? We have two narcissist morons together debating which gift is fit enough to be given to their dear friend. Huh, first we had Trixie associating with Discord, and now we have Dash and Discord together. Good job, Mr. Vogel. The writers love paring Discord with similar egoists. Anyway, they head on a journey to the Everfree Forest to find something that Fluttershy would like.
Meanwhile, Twilight sits in her castle to making... PUDDING!! Gosh, her voice when she said that... that was so not funny. I’m not joking. Did Michael Vogel think that people would find that “meme” face funny? Spider-Man makes better “meme” faces than Twilight does. So she prepares her special dessert moments before Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart enter into her home. She welcomes them nervously as she hasn’t properly finished her recipe. OF COURSE, Flurry suddenly screws it up by adding in ingredients that would eventually create it into a monster. I don’t hate Flurry Heart, but she sure is an annoying little brat.
Pinkie Pie goes to the Arctic North Pole beyond Yakyakistan and meets with... poniefied... reindeer of some kind...? Umm... okay, very weird design and really not that appealing. Plus, I despise their personalities and their characters. Ughhh... get those abominations away from me! Kill them with Joker gas! I’m sorry, I find their designs to be so disgusting to look at. Additionally, were they just staring at the Mane Six and company through that window the whole time at the end of this episode? That’s very creepy of them to do that.
Rarity goes to Sweet Acorn Orchard and has her special visit with a particular family there. Not gonna talk much about it except it had nice and tender moments in those scenes. Not my favorite subplot though.
Meanwhile, Discord and Rainbow Dash spot a winterchilla in the middle of the snow-ridden woods. Once they got it safe and sound and exit the forest, the sun sets which marks the beginning of Hearthswarming Eve. Suddenly, the winterchilla grows up into a ferocious beast twice their size and angrily growls at them. Winterzilla, eh? Does it only exist during the winter time? Hmm, it would make sense since it has literally “winter” in its own name. So it chases them all the way to the Friendship Castle where the others arrived after failing to get a present for their special pony respectively. Twilight and her family are also confronted by the rampaging pudding monster. 
After they had their own conflict solved with Fluttershy and Pinkie’s help, they all (including the winterzilla) gather together to celebrate the holiday. I do have to admit that the ending song was actually well-done, well-executed, and full of emotion. Better lesson with a much more satisfying ending than the... you know what.
Overall, this was a really good episode. Far from flawless, but it’s still entertaining and full of fun and charm. It gets a B+.
Peace!
Only saw this once and I really enjoy this episode. It really heart warming
I liked Flurry's outfit. It was adorable.
Technically though... Alice, Aurora, and Bori are just completely Reindeers, not ponified reindeers. (An example of the latter is in one of the MLP IDW Holiday comics.) I mean.... heh... I know that because of my transformations into them back in December of last year. ;3
“The Last Problem”? Or “The Last Crusade”?
I agree with you on this. “The Best Gift Ever” is not perfect, but it’s still worthwhile and enjoyable.
5341577
The Last Problem.
Kind of sucks that Luna and Celestia weren't in it.
What bugs me is how Twilight&co practically tried to use Spike as bait for the Winterzilla iirc.
That's just.. not good
5341828
Actually, they were in it but only for a non-speaking cameo.
5341843
What part was that?
5341850
When Twilight and her friends were singing “Friendship is the Best Gift” at the end of the episode.
5341853
I will probably try to find that clip.
Wished they did something with the sisters in the episode though.
Like seeing how do long-living (natural)alicorns like them experience holidays such as that.
5341858
Here it is to save you time...
Skip to the 4:24 minute mark, and you’ll see them.
5341866
Thanks.
Sucks its basically just a couple of seconds there.
Would have been lovely to see on how the sisters celebrate such a holiday in their own way.
It was pretty cute with Celestia putting a blanket on Luna there though.
5341434
Since you asked nicely, go right ahead.
As long as it is not anything related to MLP...
5358882
Here ya go. :)
https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_non-pony_characters/Deer
And like I said: Alice, Aurora, and Bori are truly reindeers, not ponified reindeers. ^^'
5358885
(Facepalm)
I don’t even care anymore. Was that really worth telling me??? It’s been three weeks since I posted this review, and this was STILL on your mind because I made a simple mistake which really doesn’t matter??
That’s why I said don’t share anything related to MLP to me.
5358899
Just wanted to clear things up..... ;-;