After three infernal weeks, my review of Season 4 is finally done. Sorry it took so long; I wish I had gotten this out sooner when this was all still relevant, but academics took precedence, and the ability to get a few hours of sleep is one hell of a drug.

Maybe it’s for the best that it took so long; it just meant that I had more time to maul things over and really figure out how I felt about this glorious nonsense, which I probably needed. I had that little grumpy phase I went through mid-season that stopped me from really exploring each episode or fully enjoying many of them, meaning it was probably in my best interest to rewatch and try to look at them more subjectively.

Now this ain’t gonna be in-depth in the slightest; these are just me rambling about the quality of each episode and whether I think it worked or not. Smarter people than I have already done more all-encompassing reviews and analysis of the season in droves, so there’s probably not much I could add at this point outside of my inability to proofread in any meaningful way. Besides, if I'm going give these their own separate reviews, which as far as I know is what I'm planning on doing eventually, I'll just save my super deep expressions of love and fury for then. Always leave them wanting more, unless that thing they want is oxygen, in which case you should give it to them immediately.

I’m leaving out the X/10 scores this time, as I'm getting the impression that my reviews are too dependent on fitting some numerical value. Hopefully I can sell my opinions clearly enough that you can gather whether I like an episode enough. If that’s not enough, the post-review ranking should clear up how I regard the episodes in relation to each other.

And thus, it begins…

Princess Twilight Sparkle: As a season opener/follow up to “Magical Mystery Cure,” it works. Giving Twilight the same uncertainty about her new position that the viewers have and making that the driving force of the story is a stroke of genius, and a good amount of time is spent on the reassurance that the characters are still themselves and that this is still the same show, which is probably a good move seeing as how the last time we saw these characters is when they got turned into Bratz. As a tight and satisfying narrative, the two-parter doesn’t stand on its own all that well. The Everfree vines are a weak threat to open a season with, the way the flashbacks are woven into the story is clumsy (Yes, I’m sure that’s just something zebras have lying around), the separation of the group in the third act is tedious and pointless, and they really, really need someone to sort out the history of this joint.

At least it looks pretty, and finally getting to see the legendary confrontation between Celestia and Nightmare Moon is one the season’s coolest moments. Discord also makes a welcome addition, as the cast’s inability to fully trust him adds an edge to the second half.

Kind of lopsided, and even more so in retrospect, but at least I can respect that it doesn’t feel like a story that was mandated by Hasbro.

Castle Mane-ia: If you have great characters, sometimes all you need to do is unleash them in an odd situation or setting and see what happens. A very funny little romp that never feels like it’s trying to wring laughs out of the characters. They’re entertaining enough acting like their regular self’s and interacting with each other that the writer doesn’t have to do that.

We never did get any follow-up on that Pony o’ Shadows, though, did we?

Daring Don’t: Not very polished beyond some amusing action and Indiana Jones references. The writing is uncharacteristically sloppy for Dave Polsky, with a muddled and confused moral, plot holes that arise when the smallest amount of thought is applied, and a mopey Rainbow Dash scene that’s incredibly forced. So yeah, weakly written episode, but I’m sort of indifferent to it. It’s just a basic action adventure cartoon, and in that regard I’d say it features some shred of success. Certainly not deserving of the outright hate I’ve seen it receive in some circles.

Flight to the Finish: Slightly disappointing. The emotional and storytelling possibilities of this eventual episode had been reeling though my mind after “Sleepless in Ponyville,” and I guess I was expecting something with more punch to it. That, and I would have preferred that Scoot’s problem arose from her own insecurities (which is good storytelling), instead of as a ploy by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who continue to be awful characters. Despite that, “Flight to the Finish” ain’t bad, to be sure. In fact, there’s enough good stuff here to save it after that initial disappointment. The song is excellent, the lesson is great and one that needed to be taught on this show, and I really like that the relationship emphasized isn’t the one between Scoots and Rainbow Dash, but the one between Scoots and the Crusaders.

Power Ponies: I don’t really have much to say about this one. Spike saves the day with the help of his nerd knowledge and Fluttershy turns into the Hulk and kills a giant hairdryer. The quality of this episode should be apparent in that one sentence. Hey, I may be an easily amused child, but at least I can recognize the value of Fluttershy turning into the Hulk and killing a giant hairdryer.

Bats!: One of those episodes I didn’t really know how to feel about at first. I was disappointed that the episode didn’t spend more time exploring the clash between AJ and Fluttershy; that was a great use of both character’s natural attitudes to generate drama and probably could have carried an entire episode. My opinion has grown a bit since then, though; one has to appreciate the uniqueness of the story in comparison to the whole series, and the decision to turn the perceived woobie of the group into a monster and then end the episode with the implication that she is still a monster is…interesting.

Rarity Takes Manehatten: The first legitimate hit of the season. Rarity continues to be Best Pony, due in no small part to Tabitha St. Germain nailing every single line thrown her way and the writers’ dedication to crafting a character I think most people embarking on creative endeavors can relate to. The song is a quality tune, even if it is a little too “RARITY IS SUPER GENEROUS, U GUYS, THIS IS THE THEME OF THE EPISODE,” the setting is a great change of pace, Suri (who sounds like a snobby Kristen Wigg) and Coco are enjoyable, and I really appreciate the moral about not letting living in a dog-eat-dog devalue being a good person. See, I told you guys Polsky could pull it off.

Pinkie Apple Pie: This one was just lovely. I had been looking forward to it the moment that wonderful song number premiered at Comic Con, and seeing it complete with the boopening animation only elevated it further as one of the most joyous moments of the whole season. The Apple family have never been more fun, with Pinkie strategically deployed to play off their frustration for maximum chuckles. It’s a great time from beginning to end, and totally one of the highlights of the season. To the core.

Rainbow Falls: Weak sauce version of “Wonderbolts Academy.” The show has always had a problem with consistent characterization and themes in its lesser episodes, but this may be the worst example, deciding rather randomly that the Wonderbolts are horrible douchebags and constructing a scenario that makes me wonder why Dash would still want to join those guys. Given that this is the series-long goal driving one of the main characters, I should not be questioning this unless that was intended, and I don’t think it was.

Couple that with Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack acting like obnoxious psychos, a dull story that fails to interest, an overreliance on contrivances to drive the story, and a moral over-simplified to the point of uselessness, and we’ve got a stinker. At least Soarin seems like a nice guy, and it was pretty funny watching the reviewer community lose their fudge over this one.

Three's a Crowd: Again, not much to say about this one outside of the utter delight I felt in hearing John de Lancie sing about the intricacies of caring for the feeble while dressed like Raoul Duke and getting harassed by the TSA. Kind of filler-ish, but I had a good time, so I’d say it was worth it. I like seeing Cadence hang out with Twilight outside of a two-parter, even if she still doesn’t have that much of a distinct personality.

But seriously, get out of here, Flash Sentry.

Pinkie Pride: You know we’re in good shape when Weird Al singing a polka cover of “The Smile Song” isn’t the best part of the episode. The pacing is excellent, the songs, based solely on how expertly they’re weaved together and elevate the ideas and emotions in the story, are the best work Daniel Ingram and Amy Keating Rogers have ever done on the show, and it understands what these key episodes should be doing: not only defining their respective character, but adding depth and weight to the character’s relationship with their Element. This is the most three-dimensional Pinkie has ever been, and it’s a great example of how good a character she can be when she’s written as more than just wacky comic relief. It’s mature, touching, and silly fun all at once, and it leaves me feeling all toasty inside like the best of the series. Pretty much the best of the season, is what I'm trying to say here.

Simple Ways: This episode used to “rub me the wrong way” for whatever reason. My best guess is that this was when my grumpy phase was just beginning, and I was in no mood for such tomfoolery. Upon further inspection of the episode at hand, I really don’t know what I was so angry about, because this is actually quite the commendable episode in many respects. St. Germain and Ball are supreme MVP’s, it tackles its relatively new-to-the-series lessons in crushing pretty well, and most of the humor hits its mark. I don’t know if it helps the point of the gag, Rarity realizing how annoying a shallow interest in something is, if Applejack is actually quite good at being fancy, but the scene works.

Filli Vanilli: I liked it. Fluttershy learning a thing or two about anxiety is very redundant at this point, but the way the lesson is taught is pretty nifty. It has some solid humor too, the highlight being Big Mac “explaining” the situation to Applejack. Sooooo, yeah, the episode’s pretty fine. At the very least, it’s a harmless piece of entertainment, and while I’d prefer something with a little more on its mind, at least it didn’t suck, which I guess is something. Big Mac croons and Cheerilee swoons, what’s not to like? Y’know, besides Pinkie being horribly ignorant. I mean, dang, girl.

Twilight Time: Just sort of there, this episode is. It has some neat moments here and there; the CMC’s voice actresses seem like they’re having a good old goofy time playing the parts, and it’s great seeing the three develop practical skills and actually make progress on that front, as opposed to their usual aimless pursuit of random activities. It just isn’t a particularly compelling plot; nice idea and moral, but there’s no momentum. Things just sort of happen, and characters be like, “okay, I guess we should react to that now.” Not a problem I saw coming from Polsky. Say what you want about his work, but his episodes usually move with some sense of purpose. Ah well, I like the CMC enough to give the episode a pass. Just didn’t wow me on any other level than “that was nice and harmless.”

It Ain’t Easy Being Breezy: You cannot distract me with your David Tennant horse, "Breezies;" this was some pretty dire shite. The Breezies are either confounding, stupid, pathetic, obnoxious, or all that at once, the writing is annoyingly superficial (everything Rarity says has to do with fashion, Dash describes everything as awesome, Pinkie Pie is a spaz for no reason, etc.), the scene with Spike and the leaf is the most asinine thing I have ever witnessed, and the climax is atrocious in twelve different directions, not the least of which is that it robs Fluttershy of the spotlight in her own showcase episode and throws the moral, the best thing this episode has going for it, into question.

We can blame Hasbro for making DHX do an episode where the Mane Six get Brundlefly’d because somebody thought that’d be a great toy to sell, but most of what goes wrong with its execution, if not all of it, lays with DHX itself, who handled this task in the worst manner possible. Neck and neck with “Rainbow Falls” for worst of the season, but this one “wins,” because while “Falls” is incompetent, “Breezies” is the rare example of the writers not even trying.

Somepony to Watch Over Me: The premise is solid, the CMC are hilarious, and the third act, despite the chimera not living up to her awesome intro, is really cool and a lot of fun. But I can’t help but feel this is a missed opportunity. What we have here is the basis for what could be an affecting look at this the relationship between Applejack and Applebloom in the spirit of “Sisterhooves Social” or “Sleepless in Ponyville,” something that really dives into somewhat maternal nature of their bond. The writing, unfortunately, decides to interpret Applejack’s protective feelings towards her sister as absurd and over-the-top as possible, which, while humorous at first, I think undercuts a lot of whatever genuine maturity they’re going for. It’s still there, but it isn’t as effective. It’s an enjoyable enough episode thanks to the non-Applejack parts, but it could have been so much more.

Maud Pie: The idea of these friendship-fixated personalitites meeting someone who’s too strange and off-putting to befriend no matter how hard they try is a really funny and interesting idea, and whereas “A Friend in Deed” sort of wimped out on that in its third act, this episode’s take on it is a lot more satisfying. Maud is awesome and the deliveries by all the voice actresses are across the board hilarious. Any episode that inspires a new appreciation for geology in the youth is a winner in my book.

For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils: Great premise that takes stuff we’ve seen before and twists them into something new, great visuals and animation, great atmosphere, great music, great pacing, great use of its central characters to generate a conflict that feels natural, great voice work by everyone, and a great use of Luna that reminds me that she totally deserves all the love she gets. Not much to elaborate on here; I thought it was just dandy, and time only made it better. More episodes like this and Sweetie Belle might just yet become one of my favorite characters.

Leap of Faith: This episode doesn’t commit any remarkable sins, and can be entertaining at times thanks to the Apple family, but it didn’t do anything for me. The story plays it too safe, never taking Applejack far enough out of her comfort zone for me to be all that invested when she finally has her big Element moment. Being unsure if the truth will do more harm than good and whether honesty is worth it for its own sake is an engaging conflict, but the answer to this episode’s dilemma is too obvious (tell the truth or your grandma gets herself killed), and we don’t really see the negative consequences, if any, to AJ’s actions, which she later describes as “the hardest thing she ever did.” Not feeling you on that one, AJ.

Testing Testing, 1 2 3: A first-rate outing where I least expected it. This is the episode that officially brought me back up to speed with my love of the series, what with its Spongbobian vibe and ability to turn something like not being able to study for a test into something engaging and hilarious. (I guess you could say I let Rainbow remind me.) The voice cast completely owns the universe for about 22 minutes, with Tara Strong in particular finally getting back to the Twilight we’ve been missing all season, it makes good use of every character and plays them to their comedic strengths, each gag hits its mark, the lesson is great, and we even get a little world-building. As far as slice of life episodes go, this is as good as it gets.

Wiki-wiki-wiki.

Trade Ya!: Same thing as Castle Mane-ia, but with different pairings and the spooky castle switched out for a more interesting location in the form of this bustling market place. I love all the little details throughout the setting and the personalities of all the different vendors the characters interact with. Very entertaining episode all around, with chemistry to spare and a new record for number of friendship lessons learned in a day.

As for the whole “Dash is a horrible slave-trading idiot” controversy, it comes off as a bit of an overreaction, at least to me.

Inspiration Manifestation: I went in expecting the worst, seeing as how this was coming from Corey “’Sleepless in Ponyville’ may have been a fluke” Powell. Glad to see that it wasn’t the worst. In fact, I very much admired its characterization of Spike, the lesson, the entertainment value in seeing Rarity going full-on Lawnmower Mare, and the immensely creepy direction it took and how much creepier it gets the more you think of all the questions left unanswered about that book and why anyone in their right mind would keep that around. Perhaps the story should have been answering those questions, but I’m pleased with the end product, if only because it’s a Spike episode where he has to rely on himself to learn the lesson and fix the problem. And he got to eat the Necronomicon, which I don’t think a lot of characters in any work of fiction can lay claim to.

Equestria Games: Yes, “Equestria Games” really should have focused on the freaking Equestria Games, the event that had been hyped up for a little over a year, and that can be counted as a huge strike against it. Weird lack of follow-up on that aside, I did like a lot of what the episode decided to commit to: Spike’s personal conflict feels like a natural progression of his character arc, the way Spike’s uncertainty with his newfound high status is reflected in Twilight is clever, the moral is fantastic, the way everyone interacts with each other feels natural and lively, and dang near busted a gut during the botched anthem and immediate aftermath. Apparently I’m one of only two people in the world who thought it was funny (the other being the friend I watched this with), but what do I know, I’m just a guy watching My Little Pony.

Quite the unique mixed bag: complete fail on the writers’ part for not showing us the actual games, but the stuff we got instead is rockin’ like Dokken. See, this is why we need two-parters outside of the season bookends.

Twilight’s Kingdom: It’s not perfect. The usual pacing issues we see in these two-parters are present, the villain doesn’t have a tangible motive outside of just eating everyone’s magic and destroying trees, Twilight goes through the exact same “friendship really is magic” lesson she has learned three separate times before now, and once again I wish they’d make one of these with the group as a whole driving the story instead of everyone playing a secondary character to Twilight. You’d think the nature of the key storyline would make this episode about the group, but apparently not.

But, despite those problems, it was an immensely satisfying hour of television. Exciting and atmospheric throughout with the highest level of menace since “The Crystal Empire,” the production value and music is predictably top-notch, some of the writing tugs at the heartstrings in ways I didn’t expect and wraps up the season’s overarching story and themes successfully, Tirek is an effective villain that combines the straight up evil of the G1 villains with just the right amount of a distinct personality and pathos, and the emotional core of the episode—which, surprisingly, doesn’t come from Twilight but rather from Discord—is solid. While I do wish the other Mane Five were involved beyond being hostages that Twilight has to rescue, the battle sequence kicks so much ass. I didn’t think they were even allowed to do stuff like that.

Perhaps repeat viewings will reveal more nitpicks and quibbles, but as of right now, the finale works, both as its own fantasy adventure and as a cap to The Key Saga ™.

And now, Citrus presents his highly questionable ranking of each S4 episode from best to not-so-best in this specific moment in space and time:

1. Pinkie Pride
   
2. Testing Testing, 1 2 3
   
3. Pinkie Apple Pie
   
4. Twilight’s Kingdom
   
5. For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils
   
6. Rarity Takes Manehatten
   
7. Equestria Games
   
8. Trade Ya!
   
9. Maud Pie
   
10. Inspiration Manifestation
    
11. Flight to the Finish
    
12. Simple Ways
    
13. Three’s a Crowd
    
14. Castle Mane-ia
    
15. Power Ponies
    
16. Princess Twilight Sparkle
    
17. Filli Vanilli
    
18. Somepony to Watch Over Me
    
19. Bats!
    
20. Twilight Time
    
21. Leap of Faith
    
22. Daring Don’t
    
23. Rainbow Falls
    
24. It Ain’t Easy Being Breezies
    

Overall, what can I say? It’s MLP: it may not be perfect, but when it’s good, it ranks as some of the best animated television ever. At the very least, I commend S4 for its willingness to experiment with what types of stories the series was willing to tell and how it would tell them. It took risks, and I’d rather have a series that takes risks that aren’t always successful than a show that’s content doing the same thing over and over again into oblivion.

Thanks for the all hard work, DHX, and congrats on another season come and gone. Here’s to Friendship is Magic’s continued success in moving millions of grown men and women with their mutant horses, twelve more Equestria Girl movies be damned!

And welcome back, Derpy.