The return of Discord was about as epic as I could've hoped it would be, so let's get down to this review and look at just what was so great about "Keep Calm and Flutter On".

Well, first of all, this was a great Fluttershy episode, perhaps the best yet, because, unlike most of her other episodes, which have usually dwelt on her own insecurity or hidden strengths, this episode was possibly the first Fluttershy episode to ever really focus on her greatest strength, that being, her kindness. Now that I think about it, the last time her kindness got this much attention as a part of who she is was possibly in the first episode of Season 2, and I can see why, because it is by no means always an easy element to show on display, as this episode stands testament to. Throughout the whole episode, I think it was quite easy for both the Mane 6 and the audience to assume that Fluttershy was simply being gullible, but at the end of the episode, I realized that that simply wasn't the case. She is simply so kind, so patient, so willing to extend a friendly hoof to anypony and keep her cool for so long (hence the name "Keep Calm and Flutter On"), that, just as Celestia predicted, she really was the only pony capable of reforming Discord in the end, because, in all actuality, she probably was the first pony ever to extend a hoof of friendship to Discord. It was awesome seeing that strength of hers getting highlighted, as well as seeing just how far it took to push her to the point that she wouldn't be somepony's friend, because once her friendship was withdrawn, Discord finally understood just how much it would hurt to lose the first pony to ever try to befriend him. Her anger at the end also confirmed that she most certainly understood Discord the whole time and was on edge throughout her attempts to reform him, rather than just being gullible, and that made me even more impressed with both her intelligence, but even more so with her genuine kindness. Fluttershy, you are and always shall be the true embodiment of the element of kindness!!!

Next, Discord of course!!! This long-awaited return was as epic as I think anypony could've hoped it would be, and I must say, I was not disappointed. As any good and proper god of chaos, he jumped right back into the trolling from where he left off, and boy oh boy was that hilarious and infuriating all at once!!! From being Fluttershy's house guest, the most hilarious dinner party ever, and almost destroying Sweet Apple Acres even, Discord was all over the place, and his powers were certainly on full display!!! My favorite had to be his trolling Angel Bunny, simply because that little turd's had that coming to him for quite some time now! His penchant for being an evil genius also was very nicely highlighted, and I'm still not even convinced that he's been 100% reformed, simply because at the very end, when Celestia mentioned to Twilight that they should keep the elements, Discord perked up his ears a bit and made a strange face, just for a second. Still, I was happy to see him get reformed, at least for the time being, simply because of all the show's villains so far he is also hands down the most likable of the bunch. He was quite infuriating, especially at the end, but, as the episode's lesson highlighted, maybe that's simply because he's never had anypony actually offer him a hoof of friendship. You could tell, from the very first time Fluttershy called him her friend, that he was quite taken aback by that, and when he almost cast away her friendship, he finally realized just how much that would actually mean to him, and so officially learned his first lesson of friendship. Also, it was quite epic hearing him shout "Friendship is Magic!!!!!" Welcome to the herd Discord!!! John de Lancie has done it again with an outstanding performance, and hopefully now we'll get to see more of Discord in the future. I'm quite interested to see what Celestia has in mind using his magic for; maybe it'll even come up in the season finale!!!

Let's see, what else did I like about this episode? The lesson about how (most) anypony can be good and reformed if they just are given a little bit of kindness and friendship extended their way was very nice, and I think the studio even did a good job of emphasizing at the same time that even the best kindness might not work sometimes, depending on the person. I mean, heck, like I said, I'm still not totally convinced about Discord, and I doubt the show will ever pull something like this with Chrysalis, and obviously won't with Sombra (because, well, he's kinda, um, dead!). Despite the fact that Fluttershy ultimately saved the day, the Mane 6's support of her being on full display was very nice to see, and was one of the few ensemble efforts from all six of them (or, rather, the other 5) that we've gotten to see this season, even if, again, it was in a supporting capacity more than anything. The animation was simply stunning as usual, and Discord's return gave the crew at DHX the chance to put on display some really fun animations. My favorite animations of the episode would probably be Fluttershy's flying house and the dinner party, just because some very cool and bizarre animations were on display in both of those scenes. The animals were hilarious!!! Angel's antics with Discord were too funny, and I couldn't get enough of those beavers!!! Who knew that apparently beavers cuss like sailors in their beaver-tongue?!?! It was also very nice to once again see Celestia, because she's been a little absent from the show lately, with a lack of both letters to her and appearances from her this season. Her wisdom (or just dumb luck) was on full display as well in her placing her faith in Fluttershy as the one pony of the Mane 6 who could truly reform Discord, and that was quite nice to see as well, since her wisdom doesn't always come across every time she makes an appearance. Assuming Discord's reform keeps, as I said earlier, I'm quite interested to see how she plans on utilizing his help and magic. Should be very interesting indeed in the overarching storyline of the show!!!

If there was any fault at all that I had with this episode, it would have to be the ending. Don't get me wrong, as I said earlier, I'm happy Discord got reformed. However, the ending felt quite rushed, and I know exactly why too! It's because there was a WHOLE LOT of filler earlier in the episode with Discord's antics, some of them necessary, others not so much. Does that mean I didn't enjoy the filler? No, I did, it was hilarious throughout the whole episode! But, as I said, the ending still felt a bit rushed; I mean, Fluttershy basically says, "You're not my friend!!!" and it takes Discord about two seconds to go "Well buck, that sucks, I guess I'm good now!". That simply felt really rushed, and it's probably one big reason that I'm still not convinced 100% that his reform is legitimate, but, time will tell. All around, aside from that slight pacing issue at the end, the episode was great. The humor was great, the animation was great, the characters were great, and the lesson was great!!! Overall, "Keep Calm and Flutter On" is a solid entry into MLP canon and definitely a fun rewatch.

HA!!! Welcome to the herd Discord ol' buddy ol' pal!!!!!!!!