Dark Qiviut

Hmm, looking at my episode list, I think there could be some changes in placement.

Daring Don’t isn’t a good episode. The concept of Daring Do and her adventures are real lacks conviction. While it never carried significant implications with the lore as dreaded, it raised that thought anyway. The episode doesn’t take itself seriously, yet should. Caballeron is a fool for falling for Daring’s disguise. And if Daring destroyed the ring she carried, then Ahuizotl’s plan to initiate a fatal, Venus-like greenhouse effect in the valley would instantly fail. But there was some really good humor, the story was paced well, and the moral’s quite good.

And honestly, I think it’s now much better than Bats, which made Fluttershy in the right the whole time. AJ’s justified to rid the vampire fruit bats from her orchard, as they damage crops and ruin the local economy. Sure, if she’s upset of hurting or killing them, okay, I understand. But the Y-rated nature prevents this episode from going that far, and the moral (while working in this context) is so out of place with animal welfare used as a secondary plot device. Not to mention the little, one-off joke of Fluttershy having that vampire tooth raised significant implications —what if she genetically mutated?

Today, Don’t is graded an F+ and Bats a D. I’m thinking of reversing them, if not making Don’t a D+.

Breezies sucks. The exposition is sloppy. Seabreeze’s anger is absolutely understandable; he wants to return home to his family, yet is written in the wrong entirely, when the other breezies are complacent and willing to stay in Equestria and leave their spouses and kids(!!) behind! The breeze lore’s super confusing, and most of them are contemptible. Twilight’s spill to transform them all to help them glide away is a massive DEM. It’s the worst D- episode, and it stays a D-, but I may have to juggle between this and Complete Crap Clause. (Mmmystery may go up one spot in the D- list, underneath Ponyville Confidential)

A Royal Problem is my surprise grade. It is not a good episode, and I won’t give the worst characterization of Celly and Luna since Twilight’s Kingdom any praise. But one moment that helped seal it was me calling out the resolution (Starlight’s mistake as doing the right thing) as whitewashing Starlight’s nightmare. I don’t support that anymore, siding with what the episode gave now. Tonight It’s a D+, but I may bump it a tad to C-; whether I’ll place it above or below Matter of Principals or not remains.

Changes could come soon, and more may follow.