Retrospective Review: Feeling Pinkie Keen and Sonic Rainboom · 4:30pm Feb 24th, 2021
S1E15 Feeling Pinkie Keen
Here's another Pinkie Pie-focused episode, one that helped define the character of Pinkie Pie. It increased the number of ways in which Pinkie Pie is portrayed as the zany character, making any weird thing, including breaking the fourth wall, seem just fine. The fandom really developed the idea of Pinkie Sense, but did it ever come up again in the series?
I appreciate the old-school physical humor in the episode, calling back to the classic Looney Tunes cartoons.
This is an episode where some of the Mane Six appear, but not all. I wonder how the writers decided which characters to include.
I am a big fan of the hydra, and there's a lot of potential fun with portraying a monster with multiple heads, that act independently.
The physical challenges share the problems with the second episode and Dragonshy. The fliers can fly. And Twilight Sparkle, you can teleport. Remember?
Ultimately, I find myself on Twilight Sparkle's side this episode. It's perfectly reasonable for a studious unicorn and the Element of Magic to try to understand the strange magic manifesting in Pinkie Pie. Particularly considering Pinkie Pie is bound to her via the Elements of Harmony, and one might reasonably expect they may have to address threats to Equestria in the future, it would help if everyone understood the extent of Pinkie Pie's magic.
S1E16 Sonic Rainboom
Here's the origin of several things. Fluttershy's 
was a popular shirt and really fitting for her character. And we get a look at the weather factory, inspiring a number of well-known fanfictions.
We still see Rainbow Dash as less than loyal to her oldest friend, telling Fluttershy her cheers are weak. I can't want for this character trait to go away.
Pinkie Pie knows what a Sonic Rainboom is, saying she hasn't seen one even if she's encountered one in the past. Funny that doesn't get mentioned. Or perhaps she didn't draw the connection between what she saw when she got her cutie mark and the Sonic Rainboom.
Once Fluttershy finally cheers loudly, she sounds like Pinkie Pie. We know whI'm y this is, of course.
While I like the idea of Rarity recognizing that Rainbow Dash has stage fright, I absolutely hate her decision to participate in the Best Young Fliers competition. It's not generous of her. It's not what a friend would do. I'd prefer some other plot where Rainbow Dash can perform a Sonic Rainboom when it's to save her friends, a representation of her loyalty. But I'm not sure what that story would be.
Rarity's outfit is absolutely hideous. I also don't like the three bullies here. Look, idiots, Rainbow Dash is a legitimate hero of Equestria. Take the L and get on with your meager weather factory jobs.
Despite my issues with Rarity's role in the episode, the character development and friendship lessons here are good.
Twilight definitely tried to use it to get more information on the future calamity in "It's About Time."
A charitable read is that she wants Fluttershy to improve. A less charitable one... Well, I hardly need to explain it.
The characters are more than their Elements. Indeed, each carries the antithesis of her Element in her failings. Rarity can be selfish in her quest for the spotlight. Dash can end up abandoning everything if her resolve crumbles or her loyalties conflict too much. What makes the girls great is their ability to move beyond those failings... but they're still only equine.
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It was used again in Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, though that's hardly a font of canonicity itself. :B
“It’s About Time” and “Mare Do Well” both mentioned Pinkie Sense
In addition to the scene in "It's About Time" that FanOfMostEverything mentioned, Pinkie specifically credits her rescue of the construction workers in "Mysterious Mare-Do-Well" to her Pinkie Sense.
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I like to blame her hideous outfit on the lack of generosity in her behavior. Like the less true she is to herself in her element, the less her other abilities work for her