Let me start this review by being honest and admitting that I've never understood the fascination with Trixie. She's loud, obnoxious, rude, and quite the boaster (who would've thought? ). The only thing that I really enjoyed about her in this episode was her constantly talking about herself in the third person, and does she just call herself Trixie? HECK NO!!!!!!! She's got a title and everything!!!!!! That was hilarious, and I loved it the entire episode, but then again, I love it whenever anypony has the balls (in a manner of speaking) to constantly refer to themselves in the third person. It just gives me a little chuckle, because I get to say, "My gosh, somepony does have that big of an ego!!!". But overall, this episode did not leave me looking forward to or calling for Trixie to come back, much less get reformed. Some people in this world are just jerks, plain and simple, and there's no changing that, and that's what I especially appreciated about characters such as Gilda and Trixie; they don't change!!! Instead, friendship overcomes their attitudes, and shows them for who they really are: jerks, braggers, and overall, petty and unpleasant company.

Now, I will admit that when Trixie was brought back in Season 3 it was handled pretty masterfully (even if her sort-of redemption was pretty rushed at the end), but I'll save my full thoughts on her appearance in that episode for my review of "Magic Duel".

Also, Spike was a total pimp with his mustache, and that right there makes this episode solid in my book!

Overall, this was a very good Season 1 episode especially notable for introducing a fan-favorite supporting character/antagonist as well as for showing off Twilight Sparkle's impressive magical abilities quite extensively. The lesson that you shouldn't be ashamed of your abilities so long as you're not boasting about them, and instead be proud of them and never hesitate to use them to the best of your ability is very solid and a good one for all ages. Definitely an early MLP classic.

Know the Difference