So after the dud that was "MMMystery on the Friendship Express", one would hope Studio B would at least manage to end Season 2 adequately to say the least. Let's take a look and see how they did...

Wow... I mean, just... wow! That... that was amazing!!! OK, so they more than made up for "MMMystery on the Friendship Express" to say the least. "A Canterlot Wedding: Part 1 and Part 2"... where do I begin? Honestly, where do I begin with an episode that simply gets so very much right?!?! This episode is simply perfection in oh so very many ways. Strap yourselves in everypony: we've got a lot to cover on this one, so without further ado, here's "A Canterlot Wedding: Part 1 and Part 2".

Story

So seeing as there is so much that works amazingly in this episode, I'll have to divvy this review up to cover a number of different elements and factors. First off, let's cover the story. Like "The Return of Harmony", there is A LOT going on here, so I won't be recapping or going over the details of the story too much. I'll just summarize the episode as so: Twilight and friends go to BBBFF's wedding, the bride raises Twilight's ire and then her suspicions, mistakes are made, hooves pointed, and words said, BIG BUCKING TWIST OUT OF LEFT FIELD, bride revealed to be impostor, true bride found, s*** starts going down, Twilight and Cadance reveal impostor, more s*** goes down (along with a princess), Elements of Harmony must be recovered, epic s*** goes down, mission failed, villain partakes in gratuitous gloating, MOST EPIC OF ALL EPIC S*** GOES DOWN, Canterlot and wedding saved, marriage, happily ever after, THE END!!!! Buck, that is literally the shortest I could get those cliff notes down to; I think that just goes to show how very much is really happening in this two-parter's whole story. In "A Canterlot Wedding: Part 1 and Part 2", there is certainly no denying that these episodes are very, very story-driven. In fact, they're two of the most story-driven episodes of the entire show, and probably the most story-driven any episode had been up until this point, to the point that the lesson, while decent, kind of takes a backseat to all of the action and events taking place. So just why does it work so well here, in a show where morals of the week are usually so very important?

In a word, execution. The execution of about every single plot point is simply perfect. Some parts feel more rushed than others, yes, but when it's all said and done, on the whole this story is one of the most professionally executed I've ever seen in two 22-minute long episodes. This story starts off with a premise that, while solid, has been done a lot. We've seen wedding episodes before, in both kids and adult television programs. But just when you think you're going to get a standard season finale, typical of what one would expect from inferior shows, the writers throw every single typical plot point in this general story arc-type under the bus and blow the audience's bucking minds! Tension rises, and rises some more, and rises some more, and suddenly we've got a full fledged invasion from an army of a brand spanking new species we've never seen before led by an insanely devious, twisted, evil looking and acting villain (and yes, this is still "My Little Pony"... now with invasions from hostile species)! Things end happy of course, I mean, they have to, it's MLP for crying out loud, but not before the Mane 6 face some of the greatest trials, challenges, and adversity they've ever encountered, Twilight especially. So really, the fun of this story, the true excellence of it, comes from the journey, not the destination; that's true with a lot of story-types of course, heck, it's true with the overall story of the show as a whole, but here it's especially apparent. From start to finish as things get more and more out of control, you're kept on the edge of your seat the whole time wondering, "Gosh, what's gonna happen next?!". By the time the end rolls around and Shining Armor and Princess Cadance's deus ex machina kicks in, you don't even care if it's somewhat stereotypical and rushed, because by that point these characters that we've grown to love have faced so much, tried so very hard to thwart the changelings' plans, that you just want to see them come out on top no matter how they do it! And boy oh boy do they ever come out on top! One deus ex machina sequence later, and the day's been saved, true love has conquered all, and things get wrapped up nicely with one hay of a wedding and reception, bringing Season 2 to a close. The laughs, the drama, the action, the suspense, heck, even romance, about every single plot element you could possibly imagine showing up in a story is here, and while no particular one stands out above the rest, they all meld and blend together perfectly in a balance I don't think I've ever seen pulled off quite so spectacularly before or since in this show. Hats off to Studio B's writers on producing what is simply among the finest story lines we've ever seen in this show to date!

Characters

Seeing as we've got some new faces in addition to the old, let's cover the usual suspects first. Twilight in particular shines in this episode, which makes sense seeing as she is largely the focus of it, further reinforcing the fact that, at the end of the day, she is and always will technically remain the star of the show. I like right away how, despite the abruptness of the news that she has an older brother (something both the Mane 6 and audience had never known before this episode), Twilight's quite accurately characterized in the sisterly role, so I can overall forgive the lateness of the news about Shining Armor, even if it is a bit silly. She's obviously conflicted as any little sister would be after just hearing that her brother is getting married in a few days, and just when she thinks she has nothing to worry about after learning that Shining Armor didn't tell her on account of being busy protecting the city after a threat against Canterlot (though you'd think they would've heard about that beforehand even more so than the wedding) as well as the fact that he's marrying her old foalsitter, Twilight's worries are reignited after she finds that Cadance is not the Cadance she once knew, and is acting rather rude, controlling, and cruel even. After witnessing "Cadance" perform some type of spell on Shining Armor, she knows she's on the right track that something is terribly wrong, but unfortunately she goes a little overboard in her accusation, namely in that she flat out calls Cadance out in the middle of the wedding rehearsal, declaring her to be EVIL!!! This is certainly not one of Twilight's shining moments, and I'm a little confused as to why so many bronies take her side on this one? I mean, yeah, she's right, but she should have been a lot smarter in how she delivered her accusation, namely, she should have pulled Princess Celestia aside and in private revealed her concerns and beliefs in a calm manner so that it would be clear she wasn't just being a spiteful, jealous little sister, which is exactly what she DID come across as when she calls the bride-to-be out so brazenly! Sorry, but she kinda dug her own grave on that one, even if it is understandable that at that point she was being driven as much by her emotions and love for her brother as she was her logic and what she knew to be true, if not even more so.

Anyways, after being BANISHED BY HELL FIRE (you know, for kids!) to some caves beneath Canterlot and discovering the real Cadance, Twilight really starts to shine. She's very take charge for the rest of the episode and does whatever she has to do to stop Queen Chrysalis and the changelings, whether it be getting Cadance to the wedding to reveal Chrysalis as an impostor or leading the Mane 6 to retrieve the Elements of Harmony. Her persistence and belief in her gut instinct pay off in the end, and mark an important step in her path to becoming a princess at the end of Season 3; true leaders must be confident and have faith in their instincts when it matters most, and Twilight most certainly does here. Besides that, it's very touching seeing her in the role of little sister and just how much affection she really has for her BBBFF, along with just how much she's grown as a character since the start of Season 1. Perfect finish to a great season for our star character Ms. Twilight Sparkle!

As for the rest of the Mane 6, they're very solid too, although I will admit the reduced roles they play really until the second half of Part 2 is why this episode ranks 2nd for me among my all-time favorite episodes behind "The Return of Harmony: Part 1 and Part 2". Let me be the first to defend their not believing Twilight by saying this; the entire time they're in Canterlot before the wedding, they're all very busy with their preparations, too busy in fact to notice anything amiss. In addition, they'd never met Cadance before; while one would think they'd be more open to hearing out Twilight's concerns, it still makes sense that they'd just assume she's only got wedding jitters and stress. Finally, however, and perhaps most importantly of all, the Mane 6 are helping prepare for not just any wedding, but a ROYAL WEDDING IN CANTERLOT! Let's put this in perspective; besides Twilight, the rest of the Mane 6 are young mares from Ponyville, a podunk little town in the middle of nowhere. Not only is any wedding going to get them all fangirling (which they do, ALL OF THEM, and yes, it's as adorable as it sounds), but also, as vital to the preparations for the wedding, they're all obviously going to be throwing their all into it with great excitement since this is one of the biggest occasions of their adult lives, unlikely to really notice anything out of place. So in conclusion, I get it, I totally do, I get why they didn't notice anything wrong and were able to dismiss Twilight's concerns as those of a jealous younger sister. What I cannot defend, however, is one moment at the end of Part 1, when they all just pretty much shun Twilight and go looking for Cadance to comfort her instead; that's pretty bucking OOC and kind of a douche move. I mean, they'd just seen Shining Armor publicly disavow their best friend (and his own sister); if anypony needed their comfort right at that moment, it was her, if only to have a shoulder to cry on. But hey, that's plot convenience for ya, so I can forgive that for the most part.

After Part 1, the Mane 6 kick some serious flank, especially in the MOST EPIC PONY FIGHT SEQUENCE YOU MAY EVER WITNESS IN YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!! I love that once it's clear that Twilight was right all along, there are no hard feelings; instead, like any great friends, they forgive, forget, and get down to doing what needs to be done, namely, giving it their all to save Canterlot and Equestria. No pressure or anything girls! Again, it's a little disappointing that they really didn't resolve the conflict with Chrysalis (though they did have a pretty epic showdown with her in the canon comic books later), but hey, seeing as the writers are significantly expanding the canon with the ending there, I can forgive that. Overall, they prove themselves once again to be loyal and true friends, awesome and always there for each other, and have a rocking awesome time together at the Royal Wedding. Like with Twilight, I can't really envision how Season 2 could've ended better for the Mane 6, and it's great that the final shot of any of the characters is just those six having a blast at the reception, laughing and enjoying each other's company to their hearts content. I'll briefly mention as an aside that, while it's a little disappointing that Spike is mostly just thrown in for some laughs in both episodes, with how much is going on I completely understand why, and so I'm not really bugged by that at all.

Finally, rounding out our old characters, I gotta mention the princesses. While Luna only disappointingly makes a few cameo appearances (her first since "Luna Eclipsed"), Princess Celestia, after a somewhat OOC scolding of her favorite student (but again, plot convenience *shrugs*), has a pretty B.A. moment when she pretty much squares off against Queen Chrysalis at the Royal Wedding to protect her subjects and land. Of course, it kind of loses its effect in that she unfortunately gets her flank handed to her (and then cocooned to boot... man, talk about rubbing salt in the wound), but it's still awesome seeing Celestia unflinchingly jump into action to protect her ponies from the forces of evil. In addition, her delivery of the lesson of the episode at the end is quite lovely if I do say so myself, and overall she has a pretty solid role in both of these episodes, especially the latter.

Alright, onto the new! Well, let's cover Shining Armor and Princess Cadance (or Mi Amore Cadenza, whichever you prefer) first. Both of these characters, especially Cadance, could've easily proven to be a Gary Stu and Mary Sue (especially considering how radically Cadance was altered from what Lauren Faust originally envisioned), but instead they really ended up being fleshed out quite nicely for their first appearances. Shining Armor is believable as a brother, a groom, and a captain of the guard, switching quite naturally from each role with ease, and even though he has a pretty hilarious 90's surfer dude voice, it grows on you and there's no denying that he's a likable, all-around nice guy and solid character. Cadance, once we get to meet her, is simply a sweetheart, and a pretty strong-willed character to boot. We have no idea how long she was stuck down in those caves; heck, she could've been starving and on the verge of collapsing by the time Twilight found her! Yet she still manages to get out of the caves with Twilight, reveal Chrysalis as an impostor, cleanse Shining Armor of Chrysalis's mind control, and, with the power of their love, drive Chrysalis and her changelings away. I don't know about you, but to me, that's pretty bucking awesome. What I especially love about these two and how they defeat Chrysalis in the end is that they are such a power couple in the most literal sense of the word! Both of these characters are at their best when they're working together, and given that the love that two romantic partners planning to spend the rest of their lives together (simply an advanced form of friendship if you think about it ) is such an important theme in this episode, it's extremely fitting that the power of their love is only unlocked when they're working in tandem, not by one or the other, but each other at once. Very nice bit of thematic symbolism there, and overall both characters have an excellent debut that, rather than turning out to be a disaster, added two solid characters to MLP's already excellent cast!

Finally, we've just GOT to cover Queen Chrysalis (and I guess I'll cover the changelings while I'm at it). Queen Chrysalis, in my measure of the show's villains so far, is probably my third favorite, behind Discord and Nightmare Moon. However, that's only because Discord is so amazing and also I like Nightmare Moon's physical design better (along with her deliciously over-the-top personality) and it doesn't really do justice to how threatening she really is. I don't think we've had a villain in this show who enjoys being evil as much as Chrysalis does. Think about it; Discord just wants to have fun, even if it causes suffering, Nightmare Moon's just very vindictive and holding a major grudge against Celestia, and Sombra hates everything too much to even really enjoy evil. But Chrysalis? She loves every minute of it! She has absolutely no problem at all with ruining the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of ponies if it means leading her own species to a glorious future, and that is just downright despicable!!! In addition, she's very cunning, a dangerous foe not to be underestimated, and quite magically powerful to boot, defeating even Celestia herself in a magic duel (though to be fair we kind of saw her when she was overcharged, for lack of a better term, from Shining Armor's love). Not to mention SHE HAS A BUCKING ARMY AT HER BACK!!! The changelings are without a doubt one of the most interesting additions to the show's canon to date, and while they haven't made any appearances in the show since this episode (their only canon appearance since being in the MLP comic books), the fandom loves, loves, LOVES THEM!!! Their potential has not been lost on us, and they've appeared in a WHOLE LOT of fan work (seriously, they're everywhere), so I can only hope that the show's creators recognize their potential as well and decide somewhere down the road to bring them and their deliciously evil queen back. Of course, it's a bit silly that her downfall came as the result of the ultimate hubris; she literally turns her back while gloating, but hey, as I've said before in this review, plot convenience!!! Besides, her banishment certainly left potential for her to come back sometime down the road in the show, and if that ends up being the case then that'll be just fine by me. Overall, Queen Chrysalis is a great villain, and her changeling minions are tough foes and an awesome canon addition with some great potential that I hope is explored down the road. Hats off to the writers on coming up with such amazing foes for the season finale!!!

Animation

The artwork in this episode is among the most impressive we've seen in the show to date, with some truly awesome sequences. The entire episode, set largely in Canterlot in the midst of wedding preparations, is very colorful and bright, and the wedding dresses especially are very appealing to the eye (seriously, the Mane 6 look TOO CUTE in their bridesmaids outfits). Everything flows very smoothly as well, impressive seeing as there's a lot of action going on in both episodes, particularly A LOT of magic usage from Twilight, Cadance, Celestia, Shining Armor, and Chrysalis. The invasion of Canterlot is probably among my top five favorite animation sequences of all time in the show, and from start to finish is simply epic all the way through (this is "My Little Pony" we're still talking about, right?). Overall, this is probably the most lovely looking episode of Season 2, and personally it's even my favorite episode period as far as animation is concerned, though a number of Season 3 episodes certainly rival it, and we'll just have to wait and see if anything Season 4 has to offer can surpass "A Canterlot Wedding". However, if you're looking for a gorgeous looking episode in MLP, look no further than "A Canterlot Wedding"; you won't be disappointed!

P.S. As an aside, I should probably mention that the new characters, Cadance, Shining Armor, and Chrysalis, all have lovely designs!

Music

Daniel Ingram hits it out of the park once again with not one, not two, but THREE new songs (plus a reprise), more than we'd seen in any single episode up till that point in the show (even if technically they all occurred over the span of two episodes). Since they're all very different from one another, I'll cover them separately in chronological order.

B.B.B.F.F. (Big Brother Best Friend Forever)

Our first song of this two-parter, "B.B.B.F.F." is, largely for sentimental reasons, my favorite of the three. Don't get me wrong, it has a very lovely tune, no doubt about that, but when you get down to it most of my love for this song stems from the subject of it. I'm a B.B.B.F.F. myself, to a sister no less, so of course I'm gonna be a sucker for a song that talks about the close, intimate relationship between a big brother and little sister and how much it means to both of them! In addition, this song gives us some nice backstory on Twilight that we hadn't had before, and it's always nice to learn more about the history of the show's main characters, and is also her first song in Season 2 (and first song actually since "At the Gala" back in Season 1, not counting "The Heart Carol" of course in "Hearth's Warming Eve"). Overall, it's a solid musical number to start off these episodes, and personally my favorite of the three, though again that's largely for sentimental reasons.

This Day Aria

When you talk about the music in "A Canterlot Wedding", this is probably the song that every single brony and pegasister immediately thinks of first, and for good reason. Musically, "This Day Aria" is easily the most impressive of all three numbers here, and to this day remains one of the most impressive, if not the most impressive, out of every single number Ingram's written yet for the show, even if there are other songs I like more. It's really unlike any song you will hear in a kids show today, a very classical aria (though it's really more of a duet, but it still cleverly fits the parameters of an aria technically) with an enchanting tune that builds the tension and suspense at the beginning of Part 2 wonderfully. It's also a lovely send up to Disney's "The Little Mermaid" (along with a number of the plot points of both episodes), and that fact alone makes it fantastic in so many ways! Britt McKillip, both Cadance's VA and singing VA, has an absolutely lovely singing voice and absolutely hits one out of the park here, nailing both Princess Cadance and Queen Chrysalis, capturing the personalities of two very distinct characters who couldn't be more unalike. To this day, it remains one of my all-time favorite songs of the show (and I can safely say the same for thousands of other broneis and pegasisters), is the only song sung by a villain we've had to this point, and still stands alone as one of the most unique and original songs in all of MLP! "This Day Aria", you brought the house down before the season was even over, and my hat's off to you for that!!!

This Day Aria Reprise

Not much to say about this one since it's so short, but "This Day Aria Reprise" is a lovely follow up to part 1 of "This Day Aria", a fun bit of gloating from Queen Chrysalis (who has a pretty rocking singing voice as well if I do say so myself) as everything she's planned seems to have fallen into place. It's the low point of the epiosde for our heroes, and everything truly seems lost as Chrysalis surveys the conquered Canterlot. Makes for a very effective moment, even if it is pretty short.

Love Is In Bloom

The final full length song of the Season 2 finale, "Love Is In Bloom", while my third favorite out of all three songs, is the perfect way to end Season 2. While it may seem a bit stereotypical in its tune and lyrics for a show like this (i.e. the most girliest song of the episode), the tune is still lovely and the lyrics as well. It's fun and celebratory and a wonderful send off to the newly married couple of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, as well as the season as a whole, plus it's the second time Twilight sings in these episodes (and Season 2), and it's always nice to hear Twilight sing yet again, so that's an added plus! Overall, I can't think of a better note for Season 2 to end on!

Final Thoughts

"A Canterlot Wedding: Part 1 and Part 2" changed everything for MLP. It was the perfect end to the most impressive season the show's had so far, with oodles of great references, from "The Little Mermaid" to William and Kate, TONS of great new additions to the canon including three new characters, fantastic developments to the overall plot of the show, and some very fun laughs, action, and drama. It was unlike anything we've really ever seen in MLP before or since, though since then there have been a number of episodes more similar to it than not on the epic scale, especially "The Crystal Empire", and it set the stage for the next evolution to MLP's storytelling as the overall storyline of the show continues to progress. It's the best season finale the show's had yet, my second favorite episode of all time, and just about perfect in every way. I can say without a doubt that "A Canterlot Wedding" is one wedding I'm most happy to have attended, and always happy to attend again and again and again!!!