Thinking about watching the whole series and reviewing it. "Now that we know everything that's going to happen in the series, how does this individual episode hold up?"
S1E5 Griffon the Brush Off
Completely unrelated to the episode, I hate that griffon is also spelled griffin and gryphon. I always have to check which the show used when writing a story with griffons.
S2E15 The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
Let me start by saying how much I hate long lines like what's shown in this episode (the Black Friday model). If 100 ponies spent 10 hours waiting in line, that is 1000 wasted hours. There's a clear alternative to this, and it's a lottery system. Everypony at the gates of Sweet Apple Acres at 9:00 draws a number, and lines up in that order to get cider. The same number of ponies get served, but no one has to wait a long time.
S1E9 Bridle Gossip
It's the first appearance of Zecora, who I expect was intended to be a recurring character. She provides a skill set the main characters don't have, and an outsider's perspective, so she serves an important role in the series. But a zebra with stereotypical attire (Mohawk and gold rings around the neck) seems like a rather, well, problematic design in 2010. (But not as much as an episode later this season.)
S2E7 May the Best Pet Win!
"You know, each of the main cast has a pet, except for Rainbow Dash."
"What kind of pet would Rainbow Dash have?"
Curious if that's how this episode came about. It doesn't seem like something that was planned from the beginning.
Featured in this episode: Dun dun dun!
I have no idea why Rainbow Dash finds sleeping in trees to be comfortable. If I could sleep on clouds, I would sleep on clouds every single time.
S2E1-2 The Return of Harmony pt. 1 and 2
Here's another episode that ended up being the first appearance of an important recurring character. It's interesting that, according to the Wiki, this episode was planned in Season 1. And in an alternate universe where the series ended after 65 episodes, Discord would just have been some villain that the heroes defeated and later reformed.
S1E21 Over a Barrel
When I was young, you could still find old black-and-white shows like The Lone Ranger and westerns on TV. Plus, all the classic Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry cartoons still played. So I saw "cowboys and Indians" plots all the time growing up.
But it's a rather risky idea for writers in 2010 to recycle the trope.
S2E5 Sisterhooves Social
S2E3 Lesson Zero
In this episode, we get the first change in the opening sequence.
You know how in A Bird in the Hoof, Twilight Sparkle worries about being banished and thrown in a dungeon in the place where she's banished? Well, this episode is a logical continuation of that same ability to not understand rational consequences.
S1E17 Stare Master
By this point, I'm feeling the show's writers are getting the characters and are building a consistent world. We have Rarity busy with her fashion work, Twilight Sparkle going to see Zecora, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders together, ready to do the crusading they promised in their first meeting.
S1E3 The Ticket Master
Oh, so many problems with this episode.
Twilight Sparkle may be sheltered, but she should at least know that she got two tickets so that she could take along a date. This could be handled by having her think she's not interested in a date, and would rather go with a friend, allowing the episode's conflict to happen.
S2E19 Putting Your Hoof Down
Watching this episode as part of the whole series is jarring. You have episode after episode of ponies being kind and friendly, then a whole bunch of rude ponies all at once.
I hate Angel Bunny in this episode. I want to turn him into hasenpfeffer.
I'd like to know why there just happens to be a hedge maze somewhere near Ponyville.
S1E13 Fall Weather Friends
It's another annual event that's only mentioned once!
One good thing about this series is that there are enough interactions among the ponies to justify most every ship. And this is the episode that launched AppleDash, the ship that wins out in the end. I do like the interaction and competition between Rainbow Dash and Applejack, even though I'm firmly of the belief that earth ponies have an insurmountable magical advantage in athletic competitions.
S1E11 Winter Wrap Up
It took until Episode 11 to get one that I'm not going to have any big complaints about. The Mane Six finally feel like they're in character.
S1E25 Party of One
I have a feeling this episode would have been largely forgotten were it not for a particular fanfic that built off of it.
Pinkie Pie wisely decides to give up on the idea of singing telegrams.
S2E17 Hearts and Hooves Day
The writers have chosen, once again, to feature a holiday or celebration in this episode. Arguably, this is the seventh time (Summer Sun Celebration, Winter Wrap Up, Running of the Leaves, Grand Galloping Gala, Nightmare Night, Hearth's Warming, Hearts and Hooves Day), and the third time directly referencing a major American holiday.
S1E7 Dragonshy
What can I say about this episode that's good?
Okay, I think that Fluttershy finding her courage when it means helping her friends is a powerful message and important definition for her character that fits the future, particularly her reforming Discord.
S2E13 Baby Cakes
So this was an episode that came completely out of the blue. There was no indication of Cup Cake being pregnant, let alone with twins. I'm assuming there was a toy involved.
"That makes sense, right?" Sure, but if you're a pegasus stallion with a beige coat or a unicorn stallion with a yellow coat, I wouldn't recommend dining at Sugarcube Corner.
Of all the things I would hate about being a non-unicorn pony, changing diapers by mouth is #1 on the list.
S1E23 The Cutie Mark Chronicles
Fans really seized on the idea of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and tree sap.
I have to think that, by a certain point, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were deliberately not naming Rainbow Dash to mess with Scootaloo.
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?
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