The season finale started off very slow and brooding but really picked up by the end of the first half of the two parter. It was so obvious to me that Cozy had ulterior motives, especially in the aftermath of What Lies Beneath. The build was very good, albeit slow in the beginning. I liked seeing the return of the creatures that the Mane 6 had previously defeated, and the return of Tirek was pretty interesting as well.  Neighsay was his usual, racist self in this one, but did a heel face turn faster than almost any other character in the show. I love the fact that the Friendship 6 where the ones to save the day here, with assistance from the CMCs. 

Overall, this was a great wrapup to the end of season 8. It sets up season 9 well, with many possibilities moving forward for what is (supposedly) the final season of MLP: Friendship is Magic.

Grade: 9.1/10 A-

Season 8 was a tale of two halves. The first half was significantly worse than the second half, which worked in its favor. There was a fair amount of continuity between episodes, but I feel like there could have been better continuity between all the episodes. Overall, the season was pretty good. A very good amount of new content, including the new species, new locales, and return of all the pillars of equestria. 

Overall grade: 91% A-