Two PoI's for me.

• The lack of name for the town. To quote my analysis of the episode:
  
  

   

  One of the cleverest directions Sonneborn, Larson, et al. induced this skewed opinion of friendship equating conformity is how the show never told the audience the name of the town. If you give this town a name, you risk breaking apart the theme of conformity and how the only way to thrive is to be like everypony else in Equestria. The lack of name retains that mystery behind the history of the town. More importantly, it reinforces Starlight Glimmer's skewed opinions of how the only way to actually be friends is to not conform to the rest of society. Keeping it nameless makes this drab village very inviting by teasing about how despite its dinky appearances, it could be one of the best places you'll ever run across. It's a very tiny thing quantitatively, but it really established credibility in Glimmer's propaganda.

   

• The loudspeakers, particularly the cool, formal approach. This is an authentic brainwashing technique, and it's used by varying governments today (i.e., North Korea) to keep them in check. To perform something that happens in real life so seamlessly in FIM makes Starlight very grounded and real as a villain, making her appear very creepy in the process.

 

Two PoI's for me.

• The lack of name for the town. To quote my analysis of the episode:

   

   

• The loudspeakers, particularly the cool, formal approach. This is an authentic brainwashing technique, and it's used by varying governments today (i.e., North Korea) to keep them in check. To perform something that happens in real life so seamlessly in FIM makes Starlight very grounded and real as a villain, making her appear very creepy in the process.

 

Both of these really do tie into the creepiness of the town. The episode actively made me feel uncomfortable conceptually and through it's use of military-esk undertones.

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed Point 7 with the glowing equal sign cutie marks. Comparing it to a shock collar or sedative is a good way to put it. In my opinion it is the glowing equal sign marks that is changing the mane 6 rather than simply being without a cutie mark that is changing them because in Twilight's Kingdom when they had no cutie mark they still acted like themselves and even when the cutie marks were switched in "Magical Mystery Cure" they still were themselves no matter how hard they tried to do the others talent. I think the glow on the equal sign cutie marks means that the equal sign is it's own spell. 

I also noticed in the scene where they were locked up that Twilight still had enough of her smarts to think up a plan. 

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed Point 7 with the glowing equal sign cutie marks. Comparing it to a shock collar or sedative is a good way to put it. In my opinion it is the glowing equal sign marks that is changing the mane 6 rather than simply being without a cutie mark that is changing them because in Twilight's Kingdom when they had no cutie mark they still acted like themselves and even when the cutie marks were switched in "Magical Mystery Cure" they still were themselves no matter how hard they tried to do the others talent. I think the glow on the equal sign cutie marks means that the equal sign is it's own spell. 

I also noticed in the scene where they were locked up that Twilight still had enough of her smarts to think up a plan. 

Really, whenever the characters got their marks switched, changed, or even flat out had no marks at all, they still maintained their personalities. They just became more incapable of functioning properly.

Really, whenever the characters got their marks switched, changed, or even flat out had no marks at all, they still maintained their personalities. They just became more incapable of functioning properly.

Yes that's exactly what I mean. They are always who they are no matter what but I see comments elsewhere to suggest that people do not get that which saddens me. 

Yes that's exactly what I mean. They are always who they are no matter what but I see comments elsewhere to suggest that people do not get that which saddens me. 

Or they haven't really been paying attention.

Or they haven't really been paying attention.

Agreed. Some people thought Cutie Map suggested the absence of a cutie mark itself controls personality and we see just from the CMC that this is not true.