The Crystal Maiden

Stuck Up Asshole. .... I hope so, anyway.

I'm honestly surprised about the number of negative comments on this episode. I, for one, loved it. How can you not? Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt and I'm ecstatic!! Wooooooo!! So onto my thoughts overall. I thought the way they did this episode was great overall. We've been waiting a long time for this moment and I absolutely loved the beginning when it happened and we saw Rainbow's reaction. I couldn't stop smiling! Pretty much most of the episode was quite an emotional experience for me: from the moment we get the announcement to when she puts her costume on for the first time and then when she actually performs with them. But obviously we get a theme in this episode about what being a Wonderbolt is actually like compared to how Rainbow Dash has dreamed it up to be for most of her life. From the beginning, we get the impression that it's not as amazing as it's cracked up to be. Honestly I expected something like that to happen, because we've seen previously how the Wonderbolts have an unfriendly side to them, and also, I'm sure we've all been through times where something we dream about turns out not to be the way we thought it was going to be, and we can relate to Rainbow Dash because of this. Sometimes I've been disappointed by the way Rainbow Dash has been written as a character in other seasons, but I thought they wrote her brilliantly in this one, especially considering one of the writers is new. That's correct, right? Sure, there was some cringey humour, but that's just Rainbow Dash for you: when she finds herself in a situation she wants to fix, she'll do all the wrong things to make it right, since that's just her character. I mean, she makes herself out to be a brash, headstrong pony, which she is, but when in situations like this, she can become quite insecure which is why she responds that way. This is why I like her so much. It was actually hilarious when she impersonated all her friends. It was odd as well, but still funny. I couldn't wait to see who she'd do next. I thought the Twilight and Fluttershy bits were the best. xD Indeed, if there was one thing I would criticize about this episode, it would be the Wonderbolts' treatment of Dash and how the idea of name-calling and bullying is justified. I get the whole 'friendly banter' thing between them, but that doesn't mean giving Rainbow Dash a nickname that reminds her of her childhood is suddenly okay. I think she should have at least explained how much it upset her because of that, and that would have given the Wonderbolts a chance to redeem themselves in some way. But that being said, I loved this episode. Definitely not the worst of the season as many people have been saying. Rainbow Dash has always been my most loved character and I'm so proud of how far she's come to get to where she is now. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens in the future now that she's an official Wonderbolt. Forgot to add a rating. I would give this one 8.5/10.

Silly me, I didn't grasp that part! XD Fair enough.

I thought this was another fantastic episode! Before watching this, I honestly wasn't keen on Starlight Glimmer being a member of the main cast, since I found it hard to connect with her compared to the others, and it's always risky to bring a reformed character to the spotlight. But this episode made me appreciate her a lot more as a character and gave her an interesting scenario to work with. It was also a great way of bringing Trixie back into the show. I wasn't expecting her to come back since fans weren't begging for it this time, like they were when she came back in season 3. They used her in a subtle but effective way to bring the story together, and I love the fact that she and Starlight are besties. It just works. All in all brilliant! 8/10. Next episode is called 'Newbie Dash'. *gasp* *heavy excited breathing* DOES THIS MEAN WHAT I THINK IT MEANS OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG Just out of interest which was the one episode out of the 6 you didn't like?

I can't believe I'm saying this about a CMC episode, but I think this is my favourite episode of the season so far! Really well executed and a nice way to see where the three of them will go from here! That song was lovely as well. <3

This was a good episode. Nothing amazing, but enjoyable. The humour was great from Rarity, Pinkie and Maud, but I sometimes found the episode boring. Still very entertaining. In my opinion though, I think the season has had a bit of an underwhelming start. I feel like there should be a bit more than what we're getting. But hey, nothing wrong with swapping adventure and drama with nice slice of life stuff.

Oh and also, I would like to add: StarBurst is best ship. <3 See what I did there? Starburst?? ... Ahem, never mind, I'll just go.

I don't think any of the season openers are BAD as such. They're all good in their own way. But honestly the weakest opener is probably either the pilot episodes or The Crystalling. They're great openers, but the others stand out more.

What a really good season opener! Not quite as action packed and engrossing as other two parters I've seen, so therefore not QUITE as good as some, but still really enjoyable!