New and Latest Episode Thread

[RCYouKnowMe]

I was like... whoa mlp...whoa... most lib way of dealing with a person who doesn't know what to do with their job. If I said " I don't know what you expect me to do working here" at MY job... well they'd tell me, but these guys "You're having trouble finding your way...I get that." then she actually figures it out on her own... that's a faded message these days which is why the show is still interesting. Friends vs. Freedom... well... ouch that's tough. I would say both, but the episode forces you to choose so I say if you have freedom... then you have the choice to make friends...but the episode was like "No, I din't like that Idea" or whoever wrote it, and discord got fooled...but the end was good.

[ph00tbag]

Okay, so since a new season has begun, I thought I'd revive this thread. Mostly because I want to gush, and talk about all of the things I liked about this episode.

In general, I love the use of foreshadowing in this episode. In the first moments, we have some where each of the mane 6 sits down in their chairs, and their cutie marks light up. This is done casually, and although there is a sound effect that comes with it, no further attention is drawn to the phenomenon until all six elements are activated. This preps the viewer for something to happen when Twilight sits down, and also generates some dramatic irony when Twilight is pacing around, wondering what the point of the castle with the thrones is, while all of her friends have unknowingly activated their chair symbols.

But the big foreshadowing in the story is the way Starlight Glimmer's deception is belied throughout the episode, but because not all of the information about the effects of cutie mark removal are revealed right away, it's not immediately obvious. However, as we learn more about the process, things get more suspicious. From the beginning, however, it's apparent that Starlight is of a different cut from her neighbors. Her speech mannerisms are not strained and emotionless. She's vibrant and purposeful in her movement, while everyone else in the Town moves and talks slower. At this point, it's subtle, but astute observers will also note that Glimmer's coat is brighter than her compatriots'. Is this because she's simply embraced her philosophy more fully than everypony else? No reason is yet given as to why, but this subtly sets the stage for everything we learn about the town down the road.

We eventually learn that the process of removing cutie marks should, in fact, make the victim's coat grayer, and make them less physically fit. We learn that a certain amount of acculturation in the Town involves a good dose of brainwashing, yielding the strained and emotionless qualities of the townspeople. This throws Starlight's differences into starker contrast, and it seems like much less of an odd coincidence. The suspicion this causes in the viewer is rewarded when Starlight is revealed never to have given up her cutie mark. The way these elements are subtly introduced to the viewer is really satisfying to those that have paid attention.

I also love how the Town's creepy factor is so steadily built up. From the beginning, there's a sort of Stepford Wives/Pod People aspect to the town that is immediately unsettling, but it's hard to fault entirely, because everyone seems happy. Twilight's observation that Double Diamond's company may not be a simple offer of a tour guide, but an attempt at surveillance, suggests its own Big Brother-esque feeling, suggesting that for all the rhetoric, Glimmer may not be so tolerant of the Mane 6's views after all. It's not until we meet Party Favor, Night Glider, and Sugar Belle, that we see the cracks in the town's veneer, revealing the rot underneath. Once the Mane 6's cutie marks have been removed, the Town becomes a veritable Dystopian nightmare, with the Mane 6 incarcerated in an enclosed space, and Orwellian platitudes pumped into the room through loudspeakers. The framing accentuates the smallness of the space, and the PAs are just loud enough to distract while listening to the dialogue. This scene is one of the most psychologically dark in the whole series, and I love it. The equals sign imagery that has pervaded not just the Town's heraldry, but everything about the Town, is, at this point, given a much darker tone, when the light coming into the room through the windows forms into its own double bar, showing the encroaching nature of the town's philosophy as the Mane 6 slowly lose touch with the things that make them unique. This culminates the development of the Town as a Bad Place, just in time for Fluttershy to see Glimmer's cutie mark revealed. From a plotting standpoint, this is an expert progression.

Among this are other little details that just make me happy. Fluttershy bobbing her head to the Town's anthem. The way all of the Mane 6 have slightly different reactions to the Town's philosophy. Sugar Belle saying, "muffins," as though she means to continue, but having nothing further on the menu. Fatty Pie. The brief moment where Twilight wonders, "wait, Meadowbrook's nine enchanted items?" The fact that Applejack also lost her metaphors and similes when she lost her cutie mark, as well as the lampshading of same quirk. "Even tweets don't make sense anymore!", which I suspect was written this way intentionally by Larson, who is a known Twitter fiend. There are probably other things I'm missing here, as well. This was a phenomenal episode, so it's easy for me to have missed some things.

The only thing I didn't really care for was Spike's hoofball tangent. For some reason, it felt like a cheap gag, which hasn't really been spoken of before, and will likely never be heard about again. But it's a small quibble against an otherwise excellent start to the new season.

[CitricAcid]

These first two episodes get full points from me. Rarity made me laugh a couple of times, exposition was kept to a minimum, and I was engaged and entertained the whole way through.

Memorable moments for me:
- Spike stomping on the hologram of Pinkie's home.
- Rarity retching at the town's clothes.
- The stereotypical RPG party mentality that the Mane 6 exhibited on the hillside near the town. I found that hilarious, and I'm not even sure it was intentional.
- The balloons.

Nitpicks:
- The balloons were cool, but I was really hoping other ponies would have talents worth showcasing more. Party Favor stole the show.

[ph00tbag]

- The stereotypical RPG party mentality that the Mane 6 exhibited on the hillside near the town. I found that hilarious, and I'm not even sure it was intentional.

I thought this was pretty funny, too, especially as a reader of Friendship is Dragons. This part of the episode was very reminiscent of that whole comic's premise.

Nitpicks:
- The balloons were cool, but I was really hoping other ponies would have talents worth showcasing more. Party Favor stole the show.

What was Night Glider's special talent, anyway?

[Freewave]

Overall a pretty great episode and not one i was expecting. i mean who would expect the mane 6 dealing with communism, propaganda, and mind control in an episode let alone the premier? There were also a lot of mature and deeper themes that were introduced this time that i'd have to applaud. I did think it was a little slow paced overall but ph00t pointed out a lot of the small things that can really stick out on repeat viewings.

[ClaviSound]

Honestly I found Starlight Glimmer to be one of the most fantastic characters ever introduced as an antagonist. Some people cite the fact that she's a regular unicorn, unlike the fantastical beings we've seen previously, or even the fact that she's specifically an antagonist to Twilight and friendship, not Equestria or Luna and Celestia, and she's the first character to have a personal vendetta against the mane six as opposed to merely considering them an obstacle. But I think what makes her truly special is we have no explanation for why she's doing what she's doing. Because we have no background on why Starlight Glimmer does what she does, all we have is her out-of-left-field rhetoric to judge her by, which is important because it makes it so we can't justify calling her truly evil. If we had learned about some tragedy she experienced as a filly, then the reaction would be "oh so that's why she's a villain," and sit back and not pursue further. But we have none of this. Thus, what she represents isn't a personal approach or a moral one, but a purely ideological one. We have to face the idea, not the mare giving it. That alone deserves serious recognition for making the clash between Equality/Comradeship and Harmony/Friendship all the more worth consideration of each's pros and cons.

Starlight Glimmer's coming back. And when she does, even if it's not immediately, she's going to wind up apprenticing under Twilight Sparkle as her protege of Friendship. Calling it right now.

I agree with ph00t on most everything. The pacing in particular was flawless imo, and it really accentuated the psychological importance of the episode even if in exchange it didn't highlight the rising actions or climax as optimally as it could. In that vein, I didn't like how they played the chase scene with Starlight for laughs with the mane six just trotting at a medium pace behind everyone; I felt it could have been far more tense if they'd made the mane six more desperate than nonchalant or resigned that the others would have to help. But I still would tout this as the best premiere since season 2, and I actually prefer it over Return of Harmony because I love 1984-esque mind games in general.

Pinkie gets honorable mention this episode for returning to her pre-Filli Vanilli mentality of being aware of her surroundings. One of her biggest talents from the beginning was noticing things the other ponies didn't because of her capacity to think outside the box; as early as S1E2, she was the one who found the book on the Elements of Harmony. Seeing her immediately suspicious of the fake smiles and NOT let it go until they were ambushed was really satisfying to see and I'm hoping they don't revert her characterization back to a ditz after this, because my favorite kind of Pinkie is "nice but weird" and you don't need insensitivity to make Pinkie an interesting, deep, and funny character. Really refreshing to see her contribute meaningfully to the story.

Overall, 10/10 and I'm glad they defined what Twilight would be using as the medium to exercise her status as Princess of Friendship. The S4 arc felt superficial to me because at the finale's culmination, Twilight didn't really do anything, she just learned that she was supposed to be doing something. Now that she's actually doing it, I'm much less worried that S5 is going to have additional filler to get Twilight to the point where she's acting on that knowledge.

[ph00tbag]

Starlight Glimmer's coming back. And when she does, even if it's not immediately, she's going to wind up apprenticing under Twilight Sparkle as her protege of Friendship. Calling it right now.

I have a feeling that the ideological conflict set out in this episode is actually going to be a recurring theme this season, and tha Starlight Glimmer is going to be the avatar of sameness for a couple episodes to come. At least, that's what I'm hoping for

[CitricAcid]

Another good episode today (Castle Sweet Castle)! This one almost gets full points from me. I hate episode recaps; they're the most useless form of exposition ever. The handful of them at the end were unbearable for me.

Memorable moments:
- One of the spa ponies talked! (Which one was she? I don't remember which is which.)
- Spike sleeps with a Rarity plush. Most adorable thing ever.
- Twilight with a pancake on her horn! http://www.deviantart.com/art/Pancakes-515811101

Nitpicks:
- The arguing seemed a little out of character for everyone.
- I noticed one nasty auto-tune artifact on Applejack's voice in the song.

[Scooblee]

(other words and things here)

Nitpicks:
- I noticed one nasty auto-tune artifact on Applejack's voice in the song.

Heh, you noticed that, too? Funnily enough, I was thinking about how coincidental it was that all the voice actors just so happened to sound good singing as well when that happened.

Besides that, I'd say Citric's list pretty much sums it up for me. Great episode that had a couple of things 'meh' about it, but nothing that majorly detracts from the episode's quality much.

Btw, that pink spa pony's name is Aloe. The blue one is Lotus Blossom.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Not the most current one but I'm about 2 minutes in to Castle Sweet Castle and jeez I feel for Twilight. I clean obsessively (usually at 3 am) when something's upsetting me.

[Freewave]

I must say that the Rdash/Tank episode was the worst episode / most of out of character since the Over-protective Applejack one. I know they actually showed the 5 stages of grief through that episode if you look deep enough but they also just made her ridiculously thick headed over a hibernation (and not a death). Now imagine if there were some actual repercussions with this episode such as Rainbow Dash losing her weather pony status or ruining her chance of being wonderbolt material after such a stunt. Also it just feels weird them starting winter as we end it. I'm not sure they will actually show that season through the next couple of episodes to continue that theme or not (as they should).

The Applebloom episode was ok. A bit of an Inception+ Groundhog Day + Story of the Blanks going on. I liked that Applebloom's cutie mark concerns led to an interwoven web where she created her own fears and problems that she couldn't escape. But i just didn't think it went quite dark enough or made it apparent that most of the episode was all a single dream. Not sure how they are going to address the cmc getting their marks this season if no one got it this round (or if they won't even have that occurred). Nice to see Luna and some true concerns if they get a crappy mark.

[CitricAcid]

Bloom and Gloom
I'm glad I encountered one or two spoilers before seeing this episode. Seeing her wake up from that first dream sequence would have been really jarring if I didn't know it was a dream. I liked how confidently she wielded the pest control contraption while that was her cutie mark. And I'm sure I wasn't the only one waiting for her to use it to suck up DT and SS.

Luna is so boring. Why does everyone like her so much?

Tanks for the Memories
My only complaint is that RD saw no real punishment for destroying the weather factory. I agree with Freewave that she was also a bit out of character, but that didn't really bother me. Her motivations were clear, and that's all that was really important to me. Who did the voice (yawn) of Tank? It didn't say in the credits.

[Gnarrkhaz]

I wonder what my favorite MLP critics (read: Silver Quill) will think of the following episodes this season because i have a feeling they won't like the ones i think are the best. Haha, i love it.

So far Tanks For The Memories is definitely the best for me and the only one i wanted to see twice.

[ph00tbag]

I haven't really said much on the last four episodes, it seems. Not much to say, since they didn't blow me away, but I've got some impressions:

Castle Sweet Castle
I thought it was odd that the Remane 5 thought, at all, that the things that made home home for them would do the same for Twilight. Seemed like they'd at least know enough about Twilight that they wouldn't jump to that conclusion. I did like that they immediately realized their mistake, though. Signs of growth, no matter how small.

Bloom and Gloom
The song was cute. The progression of surreality was super well-done. Good episode, although I ultimately found the lack of real change to the CMC arc a little frustrating.

Tanks for the Memories
So I looked up tortoise hibernation after this episode (and learned that tortoises and turtles are literally the same thing, biologically, and the distinction is really just lay convention), and holy shit who let Rainbow Dash take care of a tortoise!? Judging by the care manuals I've seen online, these are some really difficult animals to care for, and if you hibernate them the wrong way, they can die. Even four years into the show, Rainbow Dash just isn't that responsible right now. How is Tank still alive. Also, apparently, Tank is just able to walk on clouds. No magic necessary.

I also felt somewhat off-put by how heavy-handed the whole "stages of grief" thing was. I mean, it's not like Dash isn't given to hysterics here and there, but it felt like rather than the slow build-up we usually see in her, she was just dashing from one emotional extreme to the other, and I wound up getting kinda dizzy. I get it, these were meant to be caricatures for the sake of illustration, but it still felt weird. Pinkie Pie was, for once, adorable in this episode. Kudos for that, at least.

Appleoosa's Most Wanted
So, what? Trouble Shoes is a horse? Like, just a full-on horse? He looks like a horse. The guy is fucking huge. I love how helpless Braeburn is with kids. Also, is it just me, or does Applejack's tail get longer when it's wet? Would that be considered toyetic?

[Gnarrkhaz]

Appleoosa's Most Wanted would have been really interesting if Troubleshoes had to learn how to live with the fact that he's actually talentless at rodeo and that he'd be more happy if he lowered his expectations in life.

And next episode's topic: Suicide!

[Freewave]

Communism, Pet Death, Depression, Suicide, and living with a terrible Cutie Mark. Season 5 y'all (the year of the pancake).

[ph00tbag]

Can I just say that, for all I find the comparisons between Communism/Marxism and Glimmerism amusing when they're used as jokes, it really irks me when people take them seriously?

Communism and Marxism are certainly both flawed philosophies, but Glimmerism is, in fact, anathema to their core ideals. They are philosophies that encourage individuals to develop skills in manufacture and service for their personal edification, and give of their skills according to need, without the need for government intervention. Neither philosophy works, because society is just plain too big, but that's neither here nor there.

Glimmerism, on the other hand, is something of a Totalitarian Liberalism* (holy shit, talk about contradictions in terms), in that a strict principle of equal perceived value to society is achieved through a tightly enforced rule of equal skills and abilities, and thus equal contributions, which itself is enforced by a single ruler and her small, insular inner circle. In much the same way that Stalinism is a Totalitarian spin on Communism, or Oligarchy is a Totalitarian spin on Capitalism, Glimmerism is a Totalitarian spin on the Liberal ideal of equal value to society. But where Liberalism simply strives to have a society where all people are valued because we're all decent people who value everyone equally despite their differences, Glimmerism forces equality by removing those differences.

Personally, if I were to offer a one-word takeaway from Cutie Map, it would be Dystopia, because this frames the episode as a singularly sophisticated primer on the value of Dystopian Literature in philosophical discourse. The episode really is a Dystopia, depicting an undesirable society brought about by the overzealous pursuit of a particular ideal at the expense of all others, usually involving a totalitarian government. And it does it in a way that's really mature and doesn't treat kids like they have no capacity for nuance.

*For the purposes of this post, I'm talking about Post-Modern American Liberalism

[CitricAcid]

Today's episode was probably one of the best Discord episodes in my opinion. In general, I have disliked Discord and his episodes.

I found it refreshing that nopony was compelled to bring a "date" to the Gala. In fact they were exclusively preoccupied with bringing friends or relatives. If this were any other show, you can bet that wouldn't have been the case. I know the fandom will read all kinds of shipping into this, but lo que será será.

Smooze was cute, Discord hid in a box, Rarity covered her nakedness when Discord took her dress, Rarity then had a backup ensemble, and no one batted an eye at the fact (or if it was mentioned, then I missed it). And I love how simply the Smooze threat was quelled: just reach in and pull the shiny's out; easy peasy.

The writing this season has been top notch.

[ph00tbag]

Wait... Tree Hugger wasn't Fluttershy's date? Then what was up with all the mooning Fluttershy was doing?

Jokes aside, though, I did rather enjoy this episode. This was something of a revisiting of Discord's problems with jealousy, and his difficulty expressing negative emotions to his friends in a constructive manner. This episode was actually sent up last season in Three's a Crowd, where Discord was jealous of Twilight's relationship with Cadence, although in that episode it was even worse, because Discord hadn't even gotten around to communicating directly to Twilight that he wanted to be her friend. Three's a Crowd hinted at the absurd lengths to which Discord will go to externalize his jealousy, and this episode is the payoff. Where Discord's hissy fit in Three's a Crowd is completely unexplained, and he is punished with Twilight and Cadence instead becoming even closer, and him being even further shut out from there relationship, in Make Friends, etc., Discord ultimately comes clean to Fluttershy, and is ultimately rewarded with an even closer relationship, not only with her, but with The Smooze as well (I think?).

What's actually kinda cool about this, is that I don't think this topic has really been discussed so directly in the show. Discord's fight with jealousy is genuinely novel ground for the show, which is really cool.

I liked how Discord would interact with doors just to flash in and out. I liked how AJ cried when she saw AB come out of her dressing room. I liked how Discord was in the box and an exclamation mark appeared when he was discovered. I liked how Celestia giggled when Discord made fun of Twilight's flying ability. I liked how Discord is still really not comfortable around Pinkie Pie. I, too, liked how Rarity had a spare gown for the Gala, just in case. I liked how it turns out Celestia chose Discord as her plus one (oh god, KP is going to be unbearable), pretty much just to troll the Gala. I loved Maud's righteously incisive zinger. I liked how Twilight emoted a feeling that she was responsible for Discord's not causing a ruckus.

Discord's comedy show was painful to watch, but I think it was worth it for the payoffs (Celestia giggling and Maud's sick burn). Everything else was just well-written and fun to watch. This was a pretty damn good episode. A highlight in a generally excellent season, so far.

[Gnarrkhaz]

Did Discord call Fluttershy Sluttershy in this episode? XD

Also Treehugger was kind of annoying though she did have a funny line or two.

[ChocolateChicken]

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode! Discord was great and Pinkie Pie's bits were really cute and hilarious, especially her reactions to Discord ordering all the cake and then her interactions with Maud. Discord's home was absolutely perfect and I'm really glad we got to see that whole sequence (RIP Mail Pony). Underrated moments included Discord scaring the hell out of Spike and leaving him completely spooked and Celestia laughing at Discord's joke about how Twilight sucks at flying right next to Twilight. We almost never get to see Celestia having any kind of merriment or personality so those little moments with her this episode were wonderful. And Smooze was so adorable! He was like a happy kid who just wanted to have a good time! The joke where Treehugger remains completely chill even when she is about to be thrown into another dimension by Discord. And I think Treehugger might be the only character that any of the mane six are really friends with outside each other and their relatives haha.

The lesson was a really good one and something that I know lots of young kids struggle with at some point, and they tackled it very well in this episode. It was awesome that Fluttershy's explanation to Discord at the end was done assertively and aggressively because she was so tired of Discord's shit at that point haha. I was expecting her to confront him all nice and calm like she usually does but nope not this time!

(oh god, KP is going to be unbearable)

lol yeah, you're right.

I also love how this episode was actually told from Discord's point of view and gave him a lot of depth to his character. In all the other Discord eps, we only see him through the eyes of the other characters but we never became much acquainted with him until this episode and they executed it perfectly!

[Freewave]

Man this season is doing very little for me (and i hate being THAT guy)...

[Gnarrkhaz]

Man this season is doing very little for me (and i hate being THAT guy)...

That's what i thought too when it started. The first few episodes were okay but they lacked something. I didn't expect the lack of epicness. It's the fifth season already after all (and i'm still bummed out that Twilight being a princess didn't really have all that much consequence in the fourth season). The first two episodes weren't as adventurous as the other two part episodes though they were kind of clever and the theme was brilliant. The premise of the third episode would have worked better as a first season episode. I've been warming up with it again since Tanks For The Memories though.

[ph00tbag]

For my part, I loved the Cutie Map, and think it's one of the best premiers in the series. I will say, most of the episodes following that have been episodes I can describe as fun, diverting, or enjoyable at best, but none have really been bad, just not exceptional. But I did really find Make New Friends etc. to be an incredibly memorable episode, mostly because of how it ties into Discord's growth arc.

[CitricAcid]

Still good writing, still good episode. I really don't have any new good things to say. I took notes this time on the things I liked, so I wouldn't forget. Ahem...
- Gummy's falling over after being given the whisk. Grinch reference I think?
- RD wanted to be a griffin in season 4. Now she wants nothing to do with them? Make up your mind!
- RD having Twilight's hair was the most hilarious moment of the episode.
- I enjoyed the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade reference.