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[Review] S4E3: Castle Mane-ia


TwiAttack

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Castle Mane-ia

Season 4, Episode 3

 

Twilight_and_Spike_at_the_old_castle_S4E03.png

 

Three sub-plots in one episode?! Aww yeah! It looks like this season is off to a very strong start. I thought this episode had the highest entertainment value since Lesson Zero, and I absolutely loved how each of the Mane 6's unique character quirks were played here. True to its title (though admittedly I've never played any of the Castlevania games :P), the "haunted castle" vibe was very much alive throughout the episode, giving it a feeling of adventure unmatched by any of the episodes in the past three seasons (well, except maybe the two-parters). I'm quite excited to talk about this episode, so let's get this party started!

 

Right off the bat, the mysterious box that was introduced just one episode ago, already received attention. That box occupied my mind for a good thirty minutes by the end of the season premiere, so it was nice to be reassured that it was on its way to a season-long plot. It gets me curious how this box thing will be played out in the upcoming episodes. Will it be involved in subtle ways in many episodes, or will a few episodes be dedicated to it? Maybe some middle ground between the two? Or, (worst-case scenario, in my opinion) will it only be featured in the season finale? Hmm...

 

...oh sorry, we were talking about Castle Mane-ia. :blush: Anyways, that was Twilight and Spike's reason for going to the royal sisters' old castle: to research about the box. While we're on the subject of plot establishment, I thought the pacing was very well done here; probably the best since Magic Duel. The episode started off relatively calmly; setting up the premises for each of the three sub-plots. While the premises themselves, save Twi and Spike's, were not very interesting (RD and AJ having a daredevil competition, and Rarity looking for tapestries... yeah), it got me excited to know they were all going to happen in one place. Will they end up merging into one plot early on, perhaps helping Twilight research about the box, or will they hilariously avoid bumping into each other?

 

I was hoping for the latter, and I wasn't disappointed. When the sub-plots barely intersect, like when Rarity accidentally touched Rainbow Dash through a hole in the wall, hilarity ensues. However, there was a problem with having three sub-plots switching between each other every minute or so; that is, it can occasionally be hard to keep track of them all. Maybe my brain was a little lazy when I watched the episode, but there were moments when I forgot how the characters in focus got where they were. For example, after Rarity and Fluttershy fell through a trap door, the episode switched to the AJ/RD sub-plot, then the Twi/Spike/Angel one, then the AJ/RD sub-plot again, then finally we arrive back at Rarity and Fluttershy, who are now trapped in a small room. I thought to myself, "How'd they get there again?"

 

Hard to keep up with or not, the sub-plots themselves were nonetheless quite entertaining. I particularly liked how the competitive dynamic between Rainbow Dash and Applejack was played out here; this was something we didn't see much of ever since Season featherin' One (Fall Weather Friends), and I hope this dynamic is touched upon again in the future. It was fun to watch the two make trash talk at the beginning, then gradually become scared and depend on each other for reassurance. The Rarity/Fluttershy sub-plot wasn't as focused on character-to-character dynamic as the AJ/RD one, however. You could say that their sub-plot was broken down into two sub-sub-plots; namely, Rarity's quest for ancient tapestries, and Fluttershy's search for Angel. Still, we get to have more fun with Rarity's obsession with aesthetics and Fluttershy's adorable concern for her pet. The Twi/Spike/Angel sub-plot was probably the least entertaining, but we can attribute that to less screen time. It wasn't without its quirks, though. We get to see more adorkable bookworm Twilight near the beginning, and it was good(?) to see Spike and Angel... maintain that interesting enmity. All of this gets turned up to eleven during the utterly hilarious plot-merging scene, when all hay breaks loose (Rarity's apostrophic dialogue with the castle was especially funny) and Twilight pulls off an awesome time-stopping spell.

 

...aren't we forgetting somepony here? I'm talking about Pinkie Pie, of course! Appearing at the start of the episode to mediate Rainbow Dash and Applejack's little bee-covered staring contest, and not appearing for a good 15 minutes or so, it seemed like Pinkie was neglected by the writer... that is, until the alleged Pony of Shadows started to play the organ! To be honest, I saw the twist coming... sort of. Let me elaborate: I thought the Pony of Shadows (whether he/she/it is real or not) most likely wouldn't appear, simply because that doesn't seem the sort of thing that the show would do. The only logical candidate would be Pinkie Pie, since the episode featured all of the Mane 6 and it would be unbalanced if Pinkie were to receive only one moment in the limelight. What would Pinkie be doing in the castle, playing the organ? Well, this is Pinkie Pie we're talking about, so... yeah. But it was shown in one scene that the 'Pony of Shadows' had bluish hooves... who could it be? Trixie? A new character? It was to my confusion when it was revealed to be Pinkie all along! :blink: GAH! Next time, animators, can you please give us more accurate clues, for us more investigative watchers? Pretty please?

 

Before I wrap this up, I'd like to talk about two more things that didn't enter into my train of thought: the setting, and the ending/moral. The castle was revealed to be much larger than the previous episodes made it seem, and I loved it. If there was a Skyrim-esque MLP:FiM video game, this is the kind of place I would have fun exploring. The mood of the castle was well-executed too; the trap doors, sets of knight armor, and the 'Hall of Hooves' were definitely eerie, but not too creepy as to step into horror territory, which simply wouldn't fit in with the show. It also showcased how far the animation quality has come, although probably not as much as the season premiere did.

 

And now, the ending. It's a minor point, but I liked how it was Twilight who approached the 'Pony of Shadows'. Seeing as she was always portrayed as the skeptical one (which goes back as far as Bridle Gossip), it only made perfect sense. And of course, Pinkie's crazy dialogues are always a bit of fun. The friends reunite in some room, and the moral is delivered.

  • Twilight Sparkle: Well, it's good to know that whenever your imagination is getting away from you, a good friend can help you rein it in. And even though I didn't find anything out about the mysterious chest, I'm glad I was here to help all of you.
  • Rarity: You certainly did that, Twilight.
  • Rainbow Dash: Yeah! Why weren't you scared?
  • Twilight Sparkle: Reading Celestia's diary made it hard to be afraid, because I knew what it was like when she and Luna lived here. Knowing something about the past made it easier to deal with my problems in the present, even the scary ones.

Courtesy of mlp.wikia.com

 

Hmm... we have your 'friendship conquers all' message, which is par for the course for the show. And we have another which seems to come off as, basically, 'knowledge trumps fear'. It's a good moral if you look at it that way, but... if you take Twilight's original words, it seems vague... Yes, it's true that one should learn from the past, but I don't know how this could have applied to the Mane 6 sans Twi and Pinkie. Were they supposed to do a little research first before heading into the castle? Eh, I'm not too hung up on it since the episode was entertainment-driven rather than moral-driven.

 

Also, what was that mysterious silhouette with the glowing yellow eyes? Does the Pony of Shadows actually exist? Is it a new villain? Is the staff just messing with us, or is this a teaser for an upcoming plot? I have no idea, but I have a feeling that the guys over at DHX were just having a little fun. The eyes remind me of Zecora, for a reason...

 

And there you have it! If you were looking for character development, you were probably a bit disappointed by this episode. Nonetheless, it was an amazingly fun episode to watch, and is definitely in my top ten episodes so far. From the looks of it, Season 4 will be the best season yet of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!

 

Rating: 9.5/10 (Fantastic)

 


Random Afterthoughts

 

This is the first time I saw the new show intro, since I watch all the episodes online, and the one I watched for the season premiere had the intro edited out. I like how Luna is now alongside Celestia when she looks at the picture; it's only right that she gets this recognition, being a co-ruler of Equestria and simply being a major character, after all. I also like the new picture; it feels more... 'complete', with the additional ponies around. Just one thing, though. Why did Snips and Snails get included?! Snips. And. Bucking. Snails. I'm sure there are other more appropriate characters to include, like, I dunno... Cheerilee? Even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would have been better; at least they have bigger roles than them. Just. Friggin'. Snips and Snails. GAH!

 

I noticed that the show seems to be adopting a more adventurous feel. The first three episodes we've seen had lots of adventure, and the titles of some of the upcoming episodes (namely Daring Don't and Power Ponies) do sound very adventurous. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, I think Princess Twilight Sparkle and Castle Mane-ia are among the best episodes the show has seen so far. It's just that I have a slight fear that character development may be a little neglected because of this. There are many reasons why I got into this show and continue to love it, but the top reason is probably how the characters in-universe are treated. Now, I like the 'hyperactive, crazy, and/or idiotic' portrayal of many cartoon characters, but perhaps it's because I see this too much that I became somewhat sick of it, and MLP:FiM provided me with a breath of very fresh air. It had fantastic characters that can break the sound barrier or perform great feats of magic, yet it treated its characters as if they're human beings with realistic character strengths and weaknesses. I just don't want one of my favorite aspects of the show to be undermined. But, with how well DHX executed iffy concepts like alicorn transformation and high-school drama, I have really high trust that they will not screw this up. Only time will tell for sure, though...

 

Next episode is written by Dave Polsky! Hohoho, this is gonna be interesting...

 

Oh, and the start-off of Season 4 has pretty much eliminated any doubts about MLP:FiM being my favorite show. I've watched other awesome cartoons like Phineas and Ferb, and Adventure Time, but not once did it enter my mind that they may be better than my childhood favorite. Congratulations DHX, for not only challenging, but outright dethroning SpongeBob SquarePants as my favorite show of all time!

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