"The Cutie Mark Chronicles" is honestly a fantastic episode! I consider three of the last four episodes of Season 1 to be among some of the finest in the series' entire history, and "Cutie Mark Chronicles" is most definitely one of those three. So, just what makes this particular episode so good?

I think when you get down to it, the thing that really makes this episode stand out is that by this point in the season this was not a necessary episode. If it had appeared earlier in the season, it would've made far more sense, as it would've been a logical character builder, providing us with some background information on the Mane 6 that established particular character traits about them. But the thing is, this episode debuted as the 23rd episode of MLP: FiM; by that point, regular viewers of the show were already very familiar with each and every one of the Mane 6, along with the CMC for that matter. We knew their character traits, who they were, how they behaved. So really, this episode does not display so much character building as it does what I'm going to call character addition. Each character's background simply further reinforces the character traits that had already been displayed in the past for each and every one of them. By the end of the episode, it's clear that the Mane 6 were indeed always destined to grow into the young mares they have become by the present day in the show's continuity, be the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and most importantly, befriend each other and go on countless adventures, learning more and more about each other and the magic of friendship along the way. So overall, the fact that this episode wasn't necessary but fit into the show's continuity so smoothly and was, all in all, just a lovely addition, is probably what qualifies it as such a spectacular episode. Of course, there are plenty of specific elements that go into making this episode so good as well.

First of all, the sequences of each one of the Mane 6's stories of how they got their cutie marks are all splendid. I've gone on record in the past saying that I cannot personally pick a favorite out of the Mane 6, and the same goes for their background stories in this episode; each one is just the right length (no small feat when you consider that this episode fit six short stories, with segments in-between each one, into a 22 minute episode, and is arguably even better paced than other episodes with a similar amount of action such as "Magical Mystery Cure") and simply fits each character to a T. Some are funnier than others, some are sweeter than others, some are simpler than others, some are more complicated than others, but each one simply seems right for its particular character, and thus they're all special in their own way. Applejack suitably has a pretty simple, humble, heartwarming story of how she got her CM (fittingly related to her love of her family, of course), Fluttershy's excellently contrasted her shy behavior around ponies compared to her outgoing behavior around animals (plus it's simply adorable! ), Rarity's is kind of a curve ball simply in how random and hilarious it is, Twilight's shows off some of her best qualities, namely, her lifelong love of learning but also how even as a filly she's needed help from others whether she knew it or not, Pinkie's makes about as much sense as you would expect her CM story would (to this day the rock farm is one of my favorite canon locations, because, what the heck, it's a rock farm, how random is that?!?!), and finally Rainbow Dash's is, for lack of a better word, awesome, obviously!

Second, the CMC as usual are entertaining. It's nice seeing them getting creative and thinking outside the box for ways to get their cutie marks. If there's anything negative, however, that I can say about the episode at all, well (braces for Scootalovers hate )... I think Scootaloo gets just a tad annoying in this episode. Usually I love her Rainbow Dash fangasming, and yes, it undeniably drives the action of the episode from story to story, but still, she pretty much ignores every other one of the Mane 6's stories in her quest to get to hear Rainbow Dash's as quickly as possible. It's not really that bad, but after awhile it just got a little grating, that's all. Still, it doesn't take anything away from the episode; that's just a little pet peeve of mine is all, and obviously I love Scootaloo as much as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Plus, if anything, I guess that Scootaloo's impatience compared to Apple Bloom's and Sweetie Belle's eagerness to hear all of the stories at the least highlights character differences between the three Crusaders.

Beyond that, there's not much more I can say about what makes this episode so good. It's simply executed excellently and serves as a wonderful addition to MLP canon. Rather than establishing character traits, it acted more like an unnecessary but very much appreciated cherry on top of an already wonderful first season of the show. I love it, and I'm glad that it seems that most bronies and pegasisters do as well, and it's definitely one of the best episodes worth rewatching.