Just as we were getting back into the swing of things with the Mane 6, Studio B went and threw another CMC and holiday episode at us all at once in the episode "Hearts and Hooves Day"! Hearts and Hooves Day, an obviously ponified holiday that is to Valentines Day what Nightmare Night and Hearth's Warming Eve were to Halloween and Christmas, respectively, is a fun little pony holiday, and while we get far fewer details concerning this holiday (all we know about it really is that it's a special holiday for ponies to celebrate with their very special somepony's... which is an adorable name for a romantic partner if I do say so myself ) than the previous holidays, that's alright since in place of holiday details we get TONS of CMC madness! So, without further ado, let's dive in and take a look at "Hearts and Hooves Day"!

So first off, let's talk about the CMC in this episode, since they are after all the main characters. In my humble opinion, this is the best CMC episode the show's had so far, although "One Bad Apple" is a close contender (at the very least it's most definitely the second best CMC episode). Why does it stand head and shoulders above the rest? Couple of reasons. First, it's one of the only CMC episodes that does NOT revolve around their attempting to get their cutie marks; in fact, besides "One Bad Apple", it is the only other CMC episode that equally involves all three of the crusaders that does not, and it was the first one to do so. This is a welcome relief, as it shows the CMC tackling a problem that doesn't involve cutie marks whatsoever; it's just a normal, every day problem. Well... OK, so maybe giving your teacher and one of your member's older brother a love poison isn't really an every day problem, but you get what I mean. It's something outside the box that we're not used to seeing the CMC do, and it gives the audience a nice break from their usual shenanigans.

Besides that, there's other things that make the CMC stand out in this episode. For one, they're bucking hilarious. "Hearts and Hooves Day" is quite possibly their funniest episode to date, and for good reason. They get into all sorts of mischief first trying to get Cheerilee and Big Mac to date each other and then trying to break them up, and it's really a laugh riot from beginning to end. In fact, it's one of the funniest episodes of MLP to date, which is quite impressive considering Valentines Day episodes in kids shows are generally just average-to-substandard filler episodes without much to them. Second, they sing a delightful little number (although to be fair, most of it's Sweetie Belle (singing voice done by AB's VA Michelle Creber, who has a lovely singing voice for her age), further hinting at her special talent eventually involving singing somehow); actually, "The Perfect Stallion" is their first song since the "Cutie Mark Crusaders Theme Song" way back in Season 1, and this is far more of a proper number than that 80's parody was, and really pleasant to listen to all in all. Finally, they learn a good lesson that you shouldn't try to hook someone up with somebody else against their will, even if you have good intentions and want nothing but the best for both of them. Love takes time and has a way of working things out on its own, and nopony no matter how honest, sincere, or decent their intentions can speed it up. Good lesson, very solid all around and nice to see the CMC learning something that doesn't have to do with cutie marks (besides the 'patience is a virtue' element of the lesson I suppose).

Oh come on, we're not trying to get our cutie marks this week; how much trouble could we possibly get into?

Besides the CMC, however, the episode is pretty bucking funny for another big reason: Big McIntosh and Ms. Cheerilee. These two, in the biggest roles they've had in the show to date, are hysterical once they drink the love poison given to them by the CMC, and they're even pretty funny when they aren't a couple of lovesick lovebirds! Things just spiral more and more out of control as the episode goes on, and I never tire of seeing their antics while under the love poison's influence. This episode really makes you appreciate the fact that these two are usually soft spoken and very mature characters, because it makes an episode like this all the funnier! The pet-names they come up for each other are too much, and the climax of the episode always leaves me in stitches. Finally, similar to how it's nice seeing the CMC learn a lesson unlike the standard CMC fare, it's a pleasant surprise seeing Big Mac and Cheerilee teach the CMC the lesson they learned, rather than one of the Mane 6. All in all, this episode made me really appreciate both of these supporting characters far more than I had before, and ever since then it's left me vying to see them more than we have. Here's hoping they both have prominent future appearances, and maybe even fall in love sometime down the road (hey, I'm just saying, they're a pretty cute ship, it's undeniable).

Well, that about wraps up this episode review. While it's hardly the most serious episode in the show, "Hearts and Hooves Day" still delivers a solid lesson along with some great laughs that keep on coming the entire episode. It's very entertaining and a nice change from MLP's usual formula, and overall I'd definitely rank it as either the best or second best CMC episode so far that revolves around the entire group. If you're looking for an exceptional Valentines Day episode for a kids show, look no further than "Hearts and Hooves Day"; I guarantee you'll have a blast!

What?! I don't have anymore to say about the episode and that's that! Sheesh... everypony's a critic.