And the hiatus is finally over, and it's time for the episodes to start up again!

This week's is "The Last Laugh", and is written by the Foxes. Kinda wish it was by Amy Keating Rogers, but she hasn't been writing for the show for a good while.

This one, I have heard a little bit about. You see, we've got a guest star returning. Everyone ready for the return of Weird Al, playing Cheese Sandwich? Kinda hafta look forward to this one!

As usual, this is the discussion thread, where you can guess about the episode beforehand, or discuss it afterwards!

--Sweetie Belle

6944534
At long last. The countdown begins again here and now.

I saw the episode when China leaked it.
I'll tell you this, it was weird to hear Weird Al talk in a non-joyous tone. Like Robin Williams in a drama film.

6944534
Only 12 episodes left to go.

6944534
Wait, Weird Al plays Cheese Sandwich???

6944694
Of course he does! Have you not watched Pinkie Pride before?!!

6944703
A long time ago before i knew who Weird Al was XD

6944716
Huh.

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You know, I think this is the first episode in a long time that I'm seriously conflicted about. Not in a bad way, I mean. I want to love this episode, but I kinda just like it. It made me smile, and that's what it should do. I was having a really crappy day, and this one uplifted my spirits and put me in a much better mood before the day ended. But... In terms of writing... this episode in pretty weak. It's so formulaic; too formulaic. Cheese's realization just seemed... off to me. Never once did he make anyone in the factory laugh with his gags?

I feel like this episode would've benefited from something new and fresh, but I can't for the life of me put my finger on it. Sans was a refreshing and likable character -- seeing Cheese make him laugh was actually the highlight of the episode for me. It made me chuckle in delight, and that's not something that's happened in a while. Laughter is common, but that small kind of laugh that comes from your very center, that's a rare thing. For a Pinkie episode, the ability to make me laugh like that is perfect.

I admit, CheesePie is probably the only fandom ship I wish was canonical. The others are cute, but I like the idea of characters being free for headcanons to reign. However, Pinkie and Cheese had obvious chemistry in that they both love the same things, and I wanted to see them become a power-couple, bringing a new age of laughter to Equestria together. However, I didn't expect it to happen. Pinkie is one of the Mane 6, and the writing staff wouldn't want to make the mistake of putting one of the main cast in a romantic situation (again. I'm looking at you, Flash Sentry.) Beyond even that, Cheese is a celebrity voice actor, and I don't think they're likely to have a celebrity guest character enter a relationship with one of the show's characters. Unless the celebrity is an outright brony, I imagine that might make their life a little... complicated in some ways...

Still, I didn't let that color my view of this episode. It was a joy, regardless of it's flaws. I hope the rest of the Season 9 episodes keep this kind of quality, and stop falling back on... earlier episodes from this season... (*Angrily glares at Going to Seed and The Last Crusade*)

6947712
Okie then........

6947712
I also approve of CheesePie, and I was glad that Sans? didn't turn out to be the antagonist. It wasn't Pinkie Pride, but it was still in the top half of episodes this season (not that that's hard, sadly).

6947727
Yeah, I was praying the whole time that Sans wasn't the antagonist. He seemed likable enough, and to have his heart in the right place, but I was waiting for the reveal that his analytical view on comedy was dulling Cheese's laughter.

Honestly, my big problem with this episode is how quickly Cheese turns around. I don't know if it was the intention of the show writers or not, but Cheese in this episode was relatable to me; his "lost laugh" made me think of depression and the impact it can have on the things we love. But depression isn't so easily beat as "make one person laugh." I know the show couldn't really tackle that topic, but still...

6947738
Depression comes with ups and downs - perhaps you could write a story of Cheese struggling with it on the road?

But then, one can become disaffected entirely by being in the wrong environment, too.

6947712
I liked Going to Seed...

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I didn't hate Going to Seed, but it just didn't feel like last-season episode. It had no character progression for Applejack that we haven't already seen, didn't resolve any major threads that need wrapping up, and just didn't feel... memorable. It was a nice, cute episode, but it's ultimately forgettable... And in the last season, I feel like the episodes should be memorable. I don't know, it's just my opinion really...

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Ahhhhh no more story ideas~!

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And maybe Pinkie can help him with it, leading into CheesePie...?

I concur regarding Going To Seed. It's a shame, but it looks like this show is going out with a whimper...

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I have high hopes that the finale will be amazing. And hey, Frenemies is probably in my top 15 episodes of all time, so there's that. And that Premiere, son.

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I concur regarding Frenemies. The premiere was thrilling but unbelievable. As for the finale... well, we can only hope (and watch the new trailer).

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Nope, I'm going in dry. No trailers, no spoilers. I've been with FiM since Season 2, and I'll be damned if I don't go all-out this last season.

6947914
Well I've been with it since Season 1, and fingers crossed!

6944534 A pretty good return to form for Pinkie Pie after the disaster of a focus episode last season in the form of "Yakity Sax", and bringing back Cheese Sandwich was great (especially from a shipping perspective).

However, I feel like the serious nature of Cheese's depression worked against this episode, as did the overreliance on Sans Smirk's dry humor. It made some scenes a chore to get through. And the bit of Pinkie trying to find her life's purpose felt tacked on, it was suddenly brought up without any kind of explanation and just resolved without any fanfare or build up.

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You know, I actually viewed Pinkie's search for purpose as a twofold thing: it is a common cause for depression in people around the implied age of the Mane 6, so it seemed like a way to tie Pinkie into the topic of depression and how she handles sadness, while also giving a subtle nod towards the fact that the Mane 6 are probably somewhere in their late 20s.

As I said, my biggest problem was the fast turnaround for Cheese's depression. Were it only even a quarter as easy as portrayed, depression wouldn't be the serious problem that it is.

6947938 Maybe, but we already had depression from Cheese Sandwich in this episode, and depression has been briefly looked at in other Pinkie Pie focus episodes. If they really wanted to go down that route, they could've spent more time on Pinkie trying to figure out what her life's purpose was, especially when the episode ended with her in pretty much the same place she was in at the start. It felt like they just added it in last minute.

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Oh no, it certainly felt tacked on, but if you look at it from the depression angle, it actually shows Pinkie's growth. She's turning to her friends -- in this case, Cheese -- rather that spiraling like she did in Party of One or giving up like she did in Too Many Pinkie Pies.