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Dark Qiviut

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  1. Dark Qiviut
    Because Season 9 was its last, FIM was likely going to go out and try to deliver the best episodes possible. Out of the gate, Dubuc and Haber co-wrote Sparkle's Seven, one of the best comedic, animated, and written episodes of the series. Taking ideas from the lead voice actors, they blended together a tremendous script that never let up, delivered an excellent allegory of how well-made predictability transcends poorly-made unpredictability, and used that allegory to create an excellent plot twist. If you wanna read my review, it's right here.
    Unfortunately, no episode review for The Last Crusade, but my love for it from the minute it debuted early never wavered. While Sparkle's Seven doesn't take itself too seriously, this was an emotional roller coaster from the minute Scoot realized her parents were coming home. Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter were, to put it bluntly, very bad parents for not being able to spend time with Scootaloo, and the parents (and episode itself) know it. Therefore, they come up with a solution that allows them to do the job that Equestria depends them upon while simultaneously taking care of Scootaloo. Unfortunately, it completely overlooked the fact that Scootaloo has hundreds of close relations back in Ponyville and all over Equestria. In trying to resolve a dilemma, they made Scootaloo even more upset and put her at greater odds with them. The only way they were going to let her stay is to show them that the CMCs truly changed their lives for the better; with help from Aunt Holiday, Auntie Lofty, and every resident they knew, they successfully convinced Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter that separating the CMCs would only hurt Equestria over the long haul. Letting her stay in Ponyville and promising to spend more time with her when the train let them was the right solution for the story, lessons, and characters.
    Both TLC and Seven are outstanding and extremely close in quality, but by the skin of its teeth, Last Crusade overthrew it. No other episode came close to toppling it…until The Big Mac Question.
    Line 'Em Up!
    I long repeated this, and to write it again, the dialogue since Shadow Play has really improved, the verbal comedy especially. Since Dubuc relinquished her role as co-editor, the comedic dialogue has, sadly, been somewhat of a step down. Thankfully, I'm reminded through BMQ that the same wit never really left, and that when it's on, it's great.
    Discord, for that matter, was the king of these great lines. Here are just a few:
    The first line wasn't quite true, but the second completely was, historically speaking.
    (The line is doubly important for adding context to the episode's central lesson of how keeping things simple are what really makes things special, but I'll get back to that later.) Not a bad callback. Once more, Discord has a point. Every time someone hopes for the better, something goes wrong. But Discord's the Lord of Chaos with a childish, immature streak, too. Since he wasn't alerted of Big Mac's proposal plan, he became giddy and impatient (with a great mariachi reference [taking a page from Star Trek: TNG]). As he read a message on a painted apple, he quickly realized something was awry in his own way. Big Mac's riddles were clumsily written, sometimes confusing, and easily gave away the second location. In trying to come up with the "perfect idea," Big Mac created a major flaw in his plan.
    However, Discord still isn't completely accustomed to the "friendship" aspect of Equestria, and given his long, immortal, antagonistic history, he maintains a defiant, devious streak. After he uses his magic to lay every single wooden apple around Ponyville without fully looking at the riddles, he soon caved in to Spike's glares and doubt, agreeing to double-check. From the beginning, Discord believed this game was overblown and instead should give it to Sugar Belle instead, only to have it rejected for "not being romantic" and breaking BM's rule of discovery. Afterwards, when he missed his chance to actually get Sugar Belle to see an apple, he went about spreading "the love" in, once more, his own way: giving the wooden apples life and instructing them to their own posts.
    Unfortunately, like Big Mac, his instructions and direction were also not quite clear, so the apples popped up whenever another pony passed by, leading to delicious, entertaining chaos. Without it, Discord's involvement in the episode would be out of character and as bland as Cart Before the Ponies. Chaos drives Discord, and his ability to create havoc and mayhem makes for a more entertaining conflict and story, especially around Big Mac and Spike. On the other hand, it puts him into fault. Instead of thoroughly double-checking and making sure everything goes right, he cuts corners and tries to be cute and creative (tho I don't mind ), leading him to become responsible for the spider-looking apple monster.
    Also, I disagree with the criticism of Discord regressing. Sure, he may not have developed like D&D and TBUBD, but he understands how much Sugar Belle means to Big Mac. Despite his severe disagreement with the plan and Spike's commitment to it, he regrets worsening things and helps rectify the errors with everyone else offscreen as BM and Sugar proposed to each other. Furthermore, this episode shows some subtle growth from Break Down: After a lot of complaining over the lovey-dovey stuff and wanting to play O&O instead, he doesn't let his opinions interfere with Big Mac's proposal and tries to simultaneously help her solve the riddles and respect Spike's pleas.
    The Time Is Right
    Michael Vogel's among the best writers of the current crop. The Big Mac Question adds to his résumé, and with Hader co-writing, they co-created well-done, well-timed comedy.
    Discord's spilling of littler, more innocent secrets works as a joke for a big reason. As written already, Discord still hasn't fully accustomed to friendship, notably keeping a secret. FS's fright of clowns, Twilight's sleepwalking, and Octavia's date have a more innocuous, lighthearted zephyr; yes, he's spilling them to Spike and Big Mac, but not maliciously.

    This joke leads to the punchline right before the intro: shouting excitedly that Big Mac plans to propose to Sugar Belle. Everyone's curious reaction to the echo is really hilarious, and even better as one of them — Shoeshine — hears it and shrugs it off. Even better, they repeated the very same joke while keeping it fresh. It's 100% understandable that Apple Bloom's family will soon expand with Sugar Belle becoming her soon-to-be sister-in-law. Her giddy face sells her excitement well, so when she shouts out loud and everyone's as confused as before, you still laugh. Every single "shocking" misadventure by the CMCs: Scoot heads to the bowling alley and accidentally causes a Lebowski stallion to throw a bowling ball into a lamp, breaking the wooden panels below. When AB heads to the sanctuary, she shocks a monkey into a sleeping canopy of Smoky and family. SB opens a sauna, where a relaxing mare throws a body towel over her head when she finds out her privacy's invaded. Spike has a point. Discord's poor directions made the apples believe that the next pony to come close will receive the poem, and it followed each pony wherever they went. In trying to make Sugar Belle see an apple, he — surprise surprise! — helped unleash a boatload of chaos at the Ponyville market. Relocating them back to Sweet Apple Acres was another unwise decision, as they merged into THIS monstrosity!

    However, instead of actually going on a rampage to find Sugar Belle, the apple monster with its six, spidery eyes successfully delivered the assigned message in its grossest, yet most sincere, message of marriage right onto Discord. Yes, all the apple spit's gross, but not done with any ill intentions, and Discord didn't do a lot to make the problem better.

    Secondly, notice how the large apple's voice is very similar to Big Macintosh's? A nice, little way to get Peter New to talk in his Big Mac voice while making it sound as garbled, menacing, and childlike as possible. Whenever Granny Smith spoke, she was "spaced out," giving DHX plenty of leeway to pluck some great Star Trek references. Beyond "where nopony has gone before," she said this: >References Q
    >Inspiration for Discord

    …cheeky cheeky! Yet, the timing of the humor alone wasn't just right. As the apples chased Ponyville in Act 1, the animation crew snuck in this tender moment:

    Ever since FIM started, Lyra and Bon Bon have always been side by side, and the brony fandom established a long-time ship out of it. In Slice of Life, they teased the possibility despite hammering in the "best friends" line with the cheek caressing, couple-like arguing late, and the bedroom eyes. Over the last few seasons, their "friendship" began to really evolve, especially since S8 when DHX knew the finish line. Just a few examples:
    Grannies Gone Wild: Everywhere they went in Las Pegasus. Break Down: Exchanging Hearts & Hooves Day gifts. Marks for Effort: Bon Bon buying a green cactus, presumably for Lyra. End in Friend: Having lunch together. Dragon Dropped: Sharing a milkshake together, ala Buttercup and Bright Mac. After what happened in DD, you knew that the animators were just going to do something with Lyra and Bon Bon. From Season 5 onward, their evolving relationship was clearly no accident. While the main stories developed in front of us, their arc developed from the background. I guarantee you someone in this fandom will go back, find all the foreshadowing over the seasons, and build their story.
    Why is their proposal so significant?
    Representation matters. The TV debut to Auntie Lofty and Aunt Holiday introduced a same-sex couple for the first time in the show's history. While they're secondary characters, their presence in Scootaloo's life mattered, and they helped lead the CMCs' idea for a CMC Appreciation Day. It demonstrates how significant the brony fandom truly was to the growth of this show. In the beginning, everyone was surprised by how good Friendship Is Magic truly was. Although viewership and overall size of bronydom has dropped over the years, it still has its viewers and dedicated bronies. The brony fandom created this popular fanon ship all the way back to season one…and animator Morgan Shandro made it canon.
      Lofty/Holiday and LyraBon are special in their own rights. The former gave the LGBTQ+ community well-needed representation in a very popular family show and directly impacted the story. The latter came after years and years of development, and the animators decided that this was the right time to make it official.
    BTW, how apropos for Lyra to propose by dropping on one knee like a human?
    Drawing to a Close
    A giant reason why Shadow Play's one of the greatest episodes of FIM is how it blended so many arcs into one. Changes of editors + writers = changes of direction. The team turnover means new people post and publish episodes that match their own vision of FIM, so you have a wide array of stories that sometimes go nowhere. This two-parter blended so many arcs (the Pony of Shadows, Star Swirl's lack of understanding friendship, the Pillars, Starlight's redemption) so seamlessly that it looks like the creators intentionally left them vague so that they can be completed at the right time. It's one of the most impressive feats this show has ever done. Big Mac Question blends so many arcs in a smaller scale and closes them.
    Back in The Cutie Map, Spike explains his preference to be with Big Mac as the reason for skipping the Mane Six's first friendship quest. More than a season later, Nick Confalone expanded this little gag into its own story by including Discord in the Guys' Night Out duo. Two seasons later, they all acted like they knew each other since Spike hatched. BMQ added another chapter into this arc with one central goal. Once Hard to Say Anything concluded, Sugar Belle and Big Mac became an item. Over this and the next few seasons, the writers and animators sprinkled in romance between 'em, solidifying their unity. This episode called back to how they became an item in the first place: Big Mac renovating her shelf to add more space for her desserts, and Scoot recognized the blueprint for it inside SAA.

    Also, great call by Vogel and Haber to have Sugar Belle plan to propose to him, too. Usually, the male proposes to her, and Big Mac planned to pop the question at some point today. However, Plot 1B had Sugar Belle plan her own with Mrs. Cake's and the CMCs's help, showing that Sugar Belle had some ideas and offer of her own to prove her own commitment as his wife. Speaking of the CMCs… As the episode lampshaded, they earned a reputation of concocting schemes, either with success or failure, since they first met. After multiple tries, they finally got Big Mac to become an item with Sugar. Here, they felt guilty for accidentally contributing to the confusion that almost caused them to break up. (In Break Down, the delivery ponies mistook Sugar Belle for Sweetie Belle after smudging the address, leading them to believe she had a secret admirer.) For the first time all series, they're aware of the consequences. By working with Sugar and helping her to find Big Mac, they feel like they can make up for at least some of it. Yet, as what the episode showed, even their good intentions sometimes don't go according to plan. All series long, Spike's romanticism has had an impact on everyone and himself. In Break Down, he hinted his romantic "expertise" by reciting a poem of his unrequited crush on Rarity, only to be hilariously interrupted when Discord ignored him. XD Here, he brags to an offscreen character how he's so romantic and tries to help Mrs. Cake deliver all the proposal messages to the desserts…only to have his idea burn to a crisp. Lyra's and Bon Bon's series-long, evolving relationship, as explained before. Plus, notice how Bon Bon popped the question just after Lyra? Their dual proposal and rings subtly foreshadow Sugar's and BM's later on. Sugar Belle was one of the four ponies the Mane Six met when they first arrived in Our Town, and led them into an underground rebellion so they can regain their magical talent and break free from Starlight's tyranny. At season's end, she forgave her, and later helped invite Starlight to return to the village for the festival. After To Where, DHX slowly incorporated her into the secondary cast. The time she became super-heartbroken over losing her boyfriend and then became super-happy when they reunited was the moment I permanently bought into their romance. When Big Mac talked about how he loves her snorty chuckle, you can tell they really love each other. When they were going to marry was only a matter of time. Aside from being part of the timeline of Dungeons & Discord, Hard to Say Anything, and The Break Up Break Down, it is the perfect sequel to the franchise's greatest episode — The Perfect Pear — and references it in so many ways.
    Decades ago, Buttercup suspected that Mrs. Cake — Chiffon Swirl back in the day — enjoyed baking, so she gave her ingredients and challenged her to be creative. Her instincts were proven right, as she got her cutie mark and became lifelong, close friends with BC, which continues long after her passing. Here, she's essential to the story by agreeing to take part in Sugar Belle's 21-dessert surprise proposal. When the Pears were about to relocate to Vanhoover, their parents married in secret at the rock that borders the Pear and Apple orchards. (Notice how Bright and BC planted seeds in their opposing orchards, which directly contributed to the growth of the intertwining apple-and-pear tree around the rock in which they declared their love for each other. During their walk together, they find themselves at that tree, and as they talked, the sun sets perfectly within the iconic heart, spiritually indicating their support for Sugar Belle and their romance. Knowing who his father was like means a lot to Big Macintosh. Here, he envisioned proposing to Sugar Belle at a similar desk like the one he built for her a few seasons ago, calling back to Bright Mac's own declaration of love to Buttercup at the rock, only to teasingly falter. Through this episode and his heart-to-heart chat with his girlfriend, we see he knows more about him now and how much his understanding of his parents matters so much. Now that he's older and wiser, he wants to respect their legacy. Sugar Belle’s poignant wisdom and subsequent glow also suggest agreement by them with her, too. The first time Mayor Mare officiated a wedding, she worked with Bright Mac to rush one in before they relocated far away. That wedding was set up quickly and in secret from the feuding families with no certainty if they were going to be together. Bright Mac wasn't lucky just to get her to witness their surprise, but also complete the vows before the Pears moved. This doesn’t happen here. The wedding at the now-grown tree was well-planned and included the wanted decorations, guests, streamers, and so forth. From the start, Sugar and BM know they want to spend the rest of their lives together, a massive contrast from the pressure Pear Butter and Bright Macintosh felt then. One of the two twists within the episode: everyone explaining to Applejack, the unknown narrator. (The other being the wedding, which I'll get to later.) She was the one who agreed to go on that expedition to find out about why the Pears and Apples feuded for so long, which introduced their parents’ pasts to them, brought them closer to them, and helped them forgive Grand Pear. Her tears show how touched she was of not only the story they told her, but her brother's marriage.

    Speaking of… Grand Pear only had a couple of cameos here, but his biggest one was his appearance at his grandson’s wedding. The last time one took place there, he abandoned his own daughter and never saw her alive again. Several decades later, he returned to Ponyville. Their forgiveness and witnessing of the beautiful intertwined tree together began the long-awaited healing process. This time, he (and Granny) returns to the very same site, stands beside the other Apples and Burnt Oak, and gives Big Mac his unconditional blessings, closing another gap that caused a massive, increasingly bitter divide between himself and his mother-in-law. How poetic is this sequel to have another marriage take place at their tree. Two seasons ago, the Apple kin rediscovered their parents’ legacy, how they introduced each other, and fell in love thru very bitter times. Come to the end of the episode, and that long-standing bitterness that divided the Pear and Apple families for so long is healed. Well, BMQ breaks a second, not-so-talked-about barrier: Sugar Belle’s the first non-Earth Pony to be part of the Apple family. (Also, recall AJ scolding Twilight for using magic unsolicitedly on her farm in S1? Intentional or otherwise, this episode implicates that the Apples welcome unicorn magic full-time on the property now.) A Lesson in Execution
    BMQ's primary lesson — "When you tend to make things complicated and make mistakes, the simplest things are the most desired and cherished" — is magnificent, but the way it's taught brings that home.
    Before he takes out his ring, Big Mac wants to show Sugar Belle his commitment to being her husband matters by helping her find him. How? By using those painted apples with attached clues, she travels from one location to the next before meeting him at the hilltop near Sweet Apple Acres. Unfortunately, his plan never properly flourished. Not only did she miss the first apple, but he had to go back to his barn to pick up the screwdriver he left behind. When he realizes she wasn't coming, he walks to Sugar Cube Corner to find her. Discord tries to help Sugar Belle find the first apple, but she misses it twice, resulting in his poor strategy of having the apples follow whoever sees them first. When he cleaned it all up, Sugar Belle still never saw it! Deciding to cut to the chase, he brought her to that same hilltop, only to realize he left. He blindfolded her and then brought her back to SCC.

    He may believe in romance now, but doesn't quite understand it still. Instead of helping each other out, Spike and Mrs. Cake were so sworn to their own party's secrets that they created an imaginary buffer that prevented helping each other out. When Spike tried to help Mrs. Cake, he found out that Mrs. Cake messed up her desserts and later accidentally burned every one of Sugar Belle's messages. Spike isn't always the politest dragon, and BMQ's no exception. In order to make Sugar's search for BM as perfect as possible, he got a little too worried over the arrangement, placement, and visibility of each apple, glared hard at Discord for not checking carefully, and refused to ease the game's difficulty. Why did he blow his magical fire on the remaining notes? Because he believed they would be able to get into the desserts quickly and easily, only to screw up badly. However, he didn't accept all of the blame, bluntly criticizing Mrs. Cake's terrible desserts. Mrs. Cake accepted a very difficult challenge of baking twenty-one desserts. Immediately, things went terribly wrong. During the rush, she had absolutely no idea what ingredients she was using and whether she used them at all. Poignantly observed by Scootaloo: Fortunately, no pony tasted them. Sugar Belle orchestrated her entire twenty-one-dessert proposal with Mrs. Cake and added another one with its own message to call Big Mac down to the shop. The purpose of having just one word in each dessert was to help Big Mac solve the proposal puzzle after he eats each once, but to bake that many meant Mrs. Cake's margin for error significantly decreased and must work harder than usual to finish on time. On her end, discovering Discord and Spike at the doorstep meant overlooking the apple on the step and running off as quick as they can to find Big Mac. The Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to find Big Mac to give him the dessert as promised. But when they couldn't find him at the barn, Apple Bloom called back Granny's advice and took it a little too literally, causing trouble of their own and annoying her friends in the process. The fact that everyone's plans were too complicated is kind of the point. Every single pony's so focused in trying to create the perfect proposal, they overlook serious flaws. What everyone had to figure out was that by messing things up, they discovered the true worth of commitment and dedication. They never had to go over the top in order to fix it, either. Pairing it down the essentials was all they needed, something Discord comprehended well beforehand.
    Sugar Belle was the first outside of Discord to truly figure it out after Big Mac felt upset for screwing up his own proposal and feeling that he let the legacy of his parents down. Because he doesn't talk much, his words matter a lot, so when he expresses his sadness, you really feel it. However, despite problems of her own, she understood that this was nothing compared to what they (and when she was controlled by Starlight) endured. To her, this was merely a blip. Mistakes happen; they can use 'em to grow closer and really show their love for each other.
    I read a few comments on Derpibooru calling their dual proposal cute, and it really is. <3 Their solid chemistry sells the warmheartedness!
    But I won't end my review until I call out two other things in this episode:
    All episode long, Spike wore nothing. For all we know, the fourth wall or a character we had no idea existed until then interviewed all of them. What slowly began to change, though, was when he wore a suit and tie for the first time. As a result, the wedding surprise was kept under wraps from the audience; showing him wearing his suit and putting on his bow tie really makes their marriage all the more impactful. Had we knew they were eloping at episode's end, this whole journey would've felt completely pointless. After a lot of great humor, chaos, and a little bit of drama, Discord alerting the apples to drop and sing "happy marriage, happy apples!" was perfect, heartwarming cuteness on top of already perfect cuteness! He might've added to the problems, but he respects their wedding ceremony and uses a subtle, Discord-y twist to show it. Consider this his own, special way to appreciate his friendship with everyone, their marriage, and their future lives.   Conclusion
    What else can I say about this one? The Big Mac Question is really funny, really cute, and really heartwarming. Vogel and Haber tackled all of the emotions at exactly the right time and provided a magnificent cap to several arcs, some of which date back to the first season. This is the new-best Season 9 episode and one of the ten best of the series.
  2. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Expanded from my forum post. Credits to comments by @BornAgainBrony, @Truffles, and @Ittoni for the review.
    This whole episode is packed with lots of smaller details, which on rewatch go a long way. One of the first instances is this exchange between AK and her former fans.
    At first, it looks like a throwaway line that Groom Q.Q. Martingale threw in there. But in the beginning of Act 2, that concerned filly returns to her book signing, where we see more of this exchange:
    During my rewatch of the saga last month, I assumed it referred to kicking away the wild cats, one of them a housecat, during Daring Don't. But those weren’t accidents; she tried to defend herself. Despite her initial denial, she finally admitted to not only accidentally kicking a puppy, but didn’t put it in any of her books.
    Why does this small exchange matter?
    The Daring Do Series is a series of autobiographical events, but because she’s trying to sell stories to children as well, she sanitizes, alters, and omits things that might disinterest or repulse the audience. She edits each book to make the stories more sellable and sells the books as fiction. For a long time, that tactic worked; each "character" has become memorable, and there's a huge Daring Do fandom out there. Now it's starting to backfire. It opens the door for the possibility of more laying beneath to the whole Daring Do saga. Remember, the series is written in third-person limited perspective, every adventure in Daring’s point of view. Groom Q.Q. Martingale's opens that point of view, painting her stories in a more negative light while still making sense. More importantly, Caballeron’s response becomes more credible to the general audience. Yes, he’s scheming to steal the Truth Talisman of Tonatiuh, but because of the editing of her own book, she opens things up for him to explain his own side and sprinkle truths both big and small that she didn’t tell. As omissions and inaccuracies big and small add up, doubt clouds the Daring fanbase's head, which Fluttershy and the little filly represent. Innocuous details like the flower being the wrong color now implicate she has something to hide. During that exchange, Dash busts back in to warn A.K. that Caballeron is bringing Fluttershy along to Tenochtitlan. During the frantic warning, she looks around to see if anyone was around (not seeing the filly), just to see if no one is sneaking around. Like Dash herself, A.K. Yealing forgets about the child, revealing her original identity as Daring Do to the filly's shock and delight. Despite the growing scandal, some ponies still idolize her and want to grow up to be just like her.
    Another one comes in Fluttershy's first scene in the Tenochtitlan Basin. Notice his twinkling highlights and small smile as she tames Ahuizotl's jungle cats. For the first time all series, he shows sincere appreciation for someone other than himself. Usually greedy and selfish, he watched firsthand how much someone's selflessness and unconditional caring mattered. He brought her over to trick her; despite carrying that trickery throughout, his plan began to both crack and evolve.
    Yet, that crack didn't quite begin there. After Caballeron scolded at Rogue for almost poisoning himself, what does she do? Take out her traveling picnic with apple juice to Caballeron's surprise and share her lunch with them out of appreciation. Rather than snub her, he and his henchponies accept her generosity. Had this not happen, Caballeron's appreciation for Fluttershy from that point forward won't make sense.
    From the very beginning, Fluttershy was convinced that there's more to the Daring Do saga than what A.K. Yearling told through her books, even though she witnessed Caballeron and Ahuizotl firsthand commit bad actions. Talking personally with Caballeron while in the bookstore only made her more curious. So, was she gullible and naive? Absolutely. However, her naivety is much more believable compared to buying a too-good-to-be-true rag doll from Flim and Flam during Best Gift Ever, and one key moment shows she isn't that gullible:
    This indicates awareness of the events and an expectancy of Caballeron to try to explain the problem. So how does he respond? With a plausible alibi surrounding a museum that closed down from lack of funds. Daring's long history of storing many sacred artifacts on her shelves, destroying temples older than the Royal Sisters, and thus the homes of many animals (something she cares about deeply) also invited questions on her behalf. While she listened to and questioned him, he explained his lies while remaining grounded to Equestrian reality, and his book while under Martingale has enough credentials to sway many ex-fans. Additionally, she was very well aware throughout that Martingale was Caballeron, talked to him as if he was Caballeron, and never reacted at all when he reveals his identity to her.
    Also, Fluttershy never wavers her unconditional kindness regardless of any circumstance. During the entire expedition, she stayed true to her embodied Element of Harmony and exemplified it wherever she went. In each scene, Caballeron and his gang slowly show appreciation for it, both subtly and obviously. Beyond the examples from above:
    At the closure of the first expedition scene, Biff, Rogue, and Withers smile in thanks for Fluttershy. At the base outside of Tonatiuh's pyramid, Caballeron yells at Biff for suggesting to take a shortcut, and Biff feels disrespected by him despite being second-in-command. Fluttershy reassures him that he will and she believes in him (which happens inside the central room). Once they reach the top, Withers relaxes under shade, unaware that he was under an active, dangerous flyder hive. Instinctively, she whispers to stay still and called the flyders away for just a moment so he can escape. Again, Dr. C smiles appreciatively.

    On an unrelated note, Tonatiuh is the Aztec god of the sun, and the only way to enter his temple is to place a sacred relic in a pedestal once the sun reaches its apex. If intentional, clever tie-in to its mythology. Inside the temple, Caballeron tricks Fluttershy to getting the Truth Talisman of Tonatiuh (I'll get back to it in a sec), and once she retrieves it, lava spurts out. Previously, Caballeron and his henchmen were somewhat cowardly and only went after the treasure. If something bad was going to happen, they'd leave it behind. That doesn't happen here. Instead, they instinctively knock down a totem pole, and Caballeron rescues Fluttershy from certain death. Again, they didn't have to do this, but they chose to rescue her and save her. Yes, they retrieved the talisman, but because of her kindness, they returned the favor.
    Fluttershy's naivety in this scene, however, is problematic in two areas:
    Throughout almost all of Daring Doubt, Dr. Caballeron was very competent. However, his use of false despair to convince Fluttershy to fly up and steal Tonatiuh's talisman wasn't convincing whatsoever and lazy. By falling for his bad acting, she crosses from being just gullible into becoming dumb. Fluttershy reveals to having no idea that Caballeron planned to trick her the whole time. If Fluttershy knew beforehand he was scheming yet went along, it subverts the idea that she was too gullible, instead showing she knew what she was doing. OTOH, it also makes her really reckless, implicating she knows Caballeron poorly acted, yet helped him steal the talisman and put her own life at risk. Right after he reveals to lie to her, he soon reveals that he valued her kindness and friendship, a smaller subversion in and of itself and downplays unneeded drama, but it also lessens the weight of his small change of heart. Caballeron revealing his lie through the Truth Talisman could've gone either way with varying implications. The canonical path, as stated before, shows her unconditional kindness, especially after her ignorance towards Angel's needs fueled the conflict, but it made her look way too naïve and made his eventual understanding of FS's kindness at the end feel too lucky. OTOH, had Fluttershy showed controlled kindness, then you risk repeating the unfortunate implications of controlling Discord's channels of communication in the form of "kindness" from Keep Calm. Personally, I prefer the innocent path here, but it could've showed a more nuanced degree of taking elements from both.
    Now to focus on the other side, Rainbow Dash was written much better here compared to 2, 4, 6, Greaaat. To echo @BornAgainBrony, Daring Doubt is a shining example of giving Dash negative traits without making her out of character or miserable. Yes, her rush to judgment was written in the wrong, but at no point does Dubuc demonize her for her black-and-white "good guy, bad guy" assumptions. With the allotted time given to her, Dubuc rightfully justifies her prejudices.
    Daring Do and Rainbow Dash are both very good friends and better confidants. Whenever she's about to publish something new, she delivers a copy to her two weeks in advance. The entire main crew, especially Dash, is trusted by her to keep her identity a secret.

    BTW: >RM6 out her in Fame & Misfortune
    >episode retcons the journal again

    Not the first episode to handwave this atrocity's existence!
    As a result of Daring and Dash trust each other, they exchange information and secrets. If something goes wrong, Daring knows Dash will be there to try to help. Here, that's exactly what happened.

    When Dash first sees Groom Q.Q. Martingale, she immediately recognizes him as Caballeron despite a much more complicated disguise, an immediate improvement of Daring Done. Watching Fluttershy buy into Caballeron's story was a major shock; she has every right to be upset and urgently warn Daring about what he was after and why he manipulated her like that.
    No one can argue how abrasive and pushy she was here. But Caballeron began yet another scheme, decided to tag someone along to unknowingly help him retrieve the Truth Talisman to get rich quick, and took her to a temple with very dangerous traps (one in which FS got caught in minutes later). Her worries are perfectly justified. Imagine if Fluttershy got hurt — she wouldn't forgive herself for not interfering sooner!
    Once Caballeron admitted through the talisman that he lied, she got right in his face, as any good friend would. But then he admits through it his and his henchmen's gratitude for Fluttershy's kindness and generosity, Dash's edge immediately dissipates:
    Ditto.
    Speaking of lines, the dialogue during the escape (especially those influenced by the truth teller) was top notch, and some of the lines were really, really funny. Some of the best are:
    Caballeron fighting with the talisman, finally relenting to reveal he still held onto Lapis-Lux's diamond. Clever, clever. Perfect timing to sneak in a clever "Day" Off callback, eh?
    Now, let's talk about the thorn peaking out from the pond.

    Ahuizotl has earned a reputation in the Daring Do books as one of the most memorable villains within the fanbase. In reality, both he and Daring have been massive archenemies, even though Dr. C's an even bigger one. Several times, he has tried to kill Daring Do in order to prevent her from taking relics throughout the Basin. In Daring Don't, he searched for ones himself — the Rings of Scorchero — to trap Tenochtitlan Basin in a massive heatwave, only for Daring and her friends to foil his plan. One of her latest books involved Ahuizotl heading to Somnambula to separate the Doomed Diadem of Xilati from the Tiara of Teotlale (a.k.a., the Sister Crown Relics), and Daring raced the clock to steal it back and return it home before a cursed night was cast over the land and Somnambula was sunk beneath the sand.
    Daring Doubt shifts things a bit, at first accusing Daring of getting by his jungle cat army and then attempting to steal Tonatiuh's talisman, even though he has no idea that Caballeron and Fluttershy are inside. After they escape, we don't see him again, but once we do, he's furious. Not just an evil furious. He was at his angriest throughout the show's history. Despite his history as a villain, who can blame him. It was safe and secure, and from his reaction, he clearly did NOT want it stolen.
    And he shows the knowledge of Tonatiuh's temple by waiting for them at the main exit, and his anger really takes over. He wanted to retrieve that talisman and play no games, going so far as to cornering them in a dead end and ramming into it, threatening to hurt them and trap them under the temple rubble until they return it.
    At this point, Daring accidentally gives Fluttershy what may be the solution:
    Think about this. They steal the talisman, and he becomes supremely upset when he catches them. She's the only one astute enough to understand that something was missing, this being why he got so mad, and the only way to solve it was to confront Ahuizotl himself. Dash justifiably assumes that he's "just a bad guy," but FS realizes that the world sometimes operate so one-dimensionally.
    On one hand, Ahuizotl's explanation for being ferocious and violent has some merit, something both @Ittoni and @BornAgainBrony explain in their posts in the episode discussion. Throughout the series, Daring and Caballeron have been taking artifacts throughout Tenochtitlan Basin, and in doing so, many ancient pyramids have been destroyed. Whether it's in the name of profit or protection, they're still stealing from them and displacing them, which each carry massive consequences. Ahuizotl is given charge to protect not only the basin, but also the artifacts of these same ancient beings. For those who watched the series throughout, this explains quite a bit why he and his crew of Aztec ponies searched for those rings, began the ceremony inside the dark tower, and came so close to beginning that heatwave within the basin. If he completed his plan, then neither Daring nor Caballeron would rob the temples again without potentially deadly consequences. Also, I see why the episode establishes him as a guardian in the first place; he's sly, territorial, knowledgeable, and old enough to know every nook and cranny of Tenochtitlan Basin from the back of his three hands. But thanks to Cabby and Daring's rivalry, he's caught in the crossfire and at risk of being replaced; Tonatiuh's talisman being the tip of that sun ray.
    On the other, it overlooks a very specific piece of continuity, which was ironically referenced in Act 1: Why did he travel to Somnambula, allegedly separate the Sister Crown Relics, put hundreds of lives at risk, and cause Daring to go on one of her most dangerous journeys? What made him decide to apparently team up with the Wild Bunch Gang to steal Xilati's diadem from where it belonged? None of this was answered, which it should've. He did many things both in the main and secondary canon that we would consider evil, and this would easily be his worst. Given how Daring Doubt tried to explain his actions and make us at least understand his position, you can argue one of two answers.
    By forcing Daring and Caballeron to go to Somnambula, there's a chance that both of them would get stuck there and sink under the ground, which would keep every relic in Tenochtitlan Basin safe. With them out of the way, he won't have to worry so much about them grave-robbing anymore. Since this plot is about clearing up misunderstandings by listening to others, there's also the likelihood that he was caught in the crossfire. The gang chased her through Somnambula after she retrieved the Doomed Diadem from them and apparently Ahuizotl. Could Ahuizotl have been trying to recover it too, only to be caught in the crossfire? Given how the books are in her perspective, it makes his motives look more sinister than she believed. Theory #2 is more in character to the portrayal of his rivalry with Daring and Daring Doubt's dismantling of Daring's limited perspective of the journeys. But without a clear answer, we can only guess what truly happened and must rely on headcanon to fill in the gaps as well as reviewing little, overlooked details from previous episodes. An episode with this important a moral and with a very gray perspective of humanity must be treated with respect. Is it? I argue yes, but if others don't, I can see why. Ahuizotl's apparent trip to Somnambula may not have been that important in Daring Done, but when observing the arc as a whole, this plot point is now crucial in overall scope. Unfortunately, this resolution fails to deliver any explanation, much less a decent one, creating a massive plot hole in a worldbuilding idea that never fully delivered. Therefore, Daring Doubt doesn't adequately explain why Ahuizotl acted so violent this whole time.
    Fortunately, this episode's resolution isn't completely unsalvageable. Review all of the reformations over the seasons, from Diamond Tiara to Starlight to Sunset. What do they all have in common? In some way or another, they all change their ways, even if their personalities don't. What happens here isn't a true-to-FIM reformation or redemption, which — again — @BornAgainBrony points out well. Nobody agreed to anything other than a truce related to Tenochtitlan Basin. As long as neither of them steal treasures or destroy the temples, Ahuizotl won't come after and threaten them. But that doesn't mean their feud won't continue anywhere else. Daring Do will still hunt for treasure and store them however she can so no one else can destroy or desecrate them, while Caballeron's greed remains (only without one sidekick ). What this episode establishes is how despite being enemies, neither of them truly have any moral high ground. No true good or bad guys exist in the reality of Daring Do; Fluttershy has that wherewithal to deliver an objective perspective to help put them all on the same page and listen to one another.
    Plus, @Truffles points out an important distinction between Ahuizotl's explanations and Garble's reformation from 9A. Throughout the series, DHX established Garble as a petty, stereotypical teenager with a lust to pick on Spike whenever possible, and will threaten anyone if he doesn't get his way. However, Sweet & Smoky tries to introduce a more sensitive side to his personality by being close to his younger sister Smolder, who's more open to his quirks and talents. Thanks to his past actions, his secretive side's hard to sell, even after he opens himself up to save the baby dragons from freezing to death inside their eggshells. Daring Do's triangular feud here lacked that key position of listening from the get-go, and creating a series of limited-perspective books that prop up Daring's status as a hero only invited extra questions about the lore. Until the climax, nobody ever asked Ahuizotl about his behavior before, evident by how taken aback he was to FS's question. Daring's urgent line in trying to figure out an escape route and Fluttershy's awareness created a plausible out for a truce.
    This review, though, won't be complete without praising the ending. How hilarious is it that after trying very hard to avenge his losses over the years, his decision to become a best-selling author himself would be his most successful path. The way he presents himself to the audience makes him credible, and patting his hair as he reads is a nice touch.
    All in all, Daring Doubt dares to deconstruct the world of Daring Do. At times, it works. At times it doesn't. But overall, the good heavily outweighs the bad. I like it a lot, and rough edges aside, it's nicely done. It's a good episode and the best one of the Daring Do arc.
  3. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Credits go to I_Am_Number_6 on EQD, @Jerica, and @gingerninja666 for this review.
    Starlight Glimmer had one of the biggest arcs of the whole series. Debuting in The Cutie Map as Season 5’s top villain, Twilight successful convinced her to reform and change her ways. Rather than condemn her to Tartarus or exile, Twi elected to proactively teach her the Magic of Friendship. Even though she learned all the lessons academically in between To Where and Celestial Advice, she realized she wasn’t ready to lead once more. Throughout Season 7, confidence exuded out of her, showing more comfort in her opinions and ideals once again; Shadow Play and its creative genius helped Starlight show her intellectual bravery at its best, leading to her next chapter of her journey that began in Season 8.
    With A Horse Shoe-In, today’s chapter continues to near its final destination, and SG has (once again) a fantastic appearance. At the very beginning, viewers are reminded that she will become the next head of the School of Friendship once Twilight moves to Canterlot and replaces the Royal Sisters. However, Twilight’s reminder carries more in-verse weight than in Beginning.
    Spike issued Starlight’s promotion to Headmare via Royal Decree. As Princess of Friendship, she has the authority to announce it, especially to those she’s close to. More importantly, Twilight exercised this decree with a clear head. Back in BotE, Twilight was in the middle of a massive meltdown, so when she told her the news, she wasn’t prepared for what came next. Now she is. By telling her with a clear conscience, she put in a lot more thought into who’ll succeed her and (like before) trusts Starlight into making the right decisions. Ain't this heartwarming and cute?!

    Her trust for Starlight is reaffirmed in two other moments.
    In Act 1, Trixie reminded her that Twilight never did anything alone, including running the School of Friendship. As one of six teachers, they all took care of the students together. Because she had close friends helping her, Starlight told Twilight about her new idea: hiring a Vice Headmare to help alleviate the work. What does Twilight say? After blowing up in Trixie’s face, she and Twilight share a heart to heart in her classroom. During the interviewing process, Starlight really wanted someone she knew well to be Vice Headmare, but because Trixie didn’t take it so seriously the first two tries and then took it so seriously the last that she accidentally put her students in danger, she let her frustrations take over, yelled at Trixie over it, and angrily told her that she would never be VH. Twilight reminded her that, yes, she has friends to help her, but not every friend is right for the job you offer, and that she has to tell them immediately before it gets out of control.

    Now, is Starlight right to be upset with Trixie? Absolutely. Is Trixie a capable VH? Not at all. But Starlight isn’t fully innocent, either, as she ignored the signs from earlier, insulted her, belittled her worth, and put her friendship with Trixie at risk. Apologizing to her was the right move.
    As for Trixie herself, she showed aplenty to prove she wasn’t qualified beyond a blind flash beehive transfer. In Twilight’s classroom, she skipped a completely important history lecture on friendship, napped with everyone (with helpful tips from Gallus ), and didn't feel ashamed of it. Afterwards, she shouted at Grandpa Gruff and expelled him from the School of Friendship. Both of these showed extreme opposites of what she looked for. On one hand, she didn't care for the subject the students are learning. On the other, when push comes to shove, she cared maybe a little too much, rightfully defending a student’s reputation to a surrogate who gave little about him and losing her own temper rather than constructively using her anger to maintain her rep as substitute.
    That said, despite her neglect for studies, extreme measures, and lack of thought, Trixie's certainty she'll be hired is merited. What inspired Starlight to create this permanent position? Trixie’s reminder of Twilight’s friends helping her run the school. Rather than go away and wait for lunch, she followed Starlight, overheard the whole conversation, and assumed that Starlight will hire friends to help them like Princess Twilight. As a result, this whole interviewing process felt like a game to test her meddle, and she won't bite. Read this exchange from Act 2:
    In Starlight's mind, she wanted Trixie to really show she can lead a school and help the students learn, but she was way behind compared to Hooves and Octavia. However, Trixie assumes Starlight just wants to test her with one final step before letting the rest of the "competition," and the language from both of them is loose enough so you see where they come from while being unable to break through that communication barrier. And it was that barrier that caused Trixie to not take Starlight's anger seriously the first time, followed by confusion, and then hurt once she realized what Starlight wanted and after SG made her feel worthless.
    In addition to helping complete another chapter to the overall arc of Season 9, the episode carries a message of how nepotism can cause a system to become corrupt if left unchecked. Because she did so poorly, SG almost DQ'd her once and then told her very softly in their second interview she wouldn't hire her. But as a result of Trixie setting the expectation of being hired (and thus placing herself above Octavia, Hooves, Big Mac, and Spoiled), Starlight was caught in a major dilemma. How can she tell Trixie she's not qualified for the job? Regardless of her own temperament, how well will Trixie handle the disappointment? What if she finds out through someone else that she will lose the opportunity? Conversing with "Phyllis" (and protecting her from Trixie) and holding off the truth only added to her dilemma and increased her frustration. Fortunately, when the problems became too big to ignore, she put her foot down, and Twilight's "motherly" advice helped her even more.
    In addition to how your friends may not always be the best fit for a job, a nice, subtle secondary moral floated in the background, which @Jerica caught and told me about in my Discord convo with her. Out of the five interviewees, Octavia Melody was easily the most qualified.
    During the substitution, she easily had the most fun while taking part in Laughter class. As she instructed her students to play their instruments, Pinkie Pie suddenly played the yovidaphone loudly behind them. Did anyone get upset? Nope. They continued playing and had a blast playing their favorite instruments no matter how good they were. And, yes, they all laughed. Hard. In her one-on-one interview with Ocellus's parents, she understood her knowledge of music, praised her student for quickly improving in her work, and got along incredibly well. While in the same Bridleway Theatre as the special playing of Hinny of the Hills back in Season 4, her students sat in their seats as Octavia prepared. Initially, Gallus was bored as hell. Then the lights went out. Out came Vinyl. And they began to play an exciting remix of classical music to everycreature's delight (great callback to their remix and friendship from Slice of Life ). Octavia understands that not everyone's tastes are the same, but she knew how to loosen her hair and create joy to those who wish for it. Yet at the end, she turned down the job. Why? Fear she'll lose her time for music. Even though she's so good in those interviews, music's her passion, and she doesn't want to give it up. Sadly, you sometimes have to choose, which isn't easy. Bittersweet it may be, watching her tell Starlight she would love to accept the offer but decline would add a major gut-punch to the episode and add some real, down-to-earth weight to this episode.
    What would also add weight would be to see Gallus tell Trixie how much he appreciated her passionate defense of him to Grandpa Gruff. Most ponies won't have the guts to tell off the temperamental griffon like that, including Starlight. No matter how narcissistic Trixie can be, she knows her limits and cares for at least her students' psychological health. Apathy for his guardian's growth and openly belittling him while he was already down were massive signs of disrespect towards her and her students, and she showed Gruff he hasn't earned her respect in return. If there's a scene showing Gallus thanking Trixie for defending him, it'll show both some chemistry between them and how her presence matters. Containing it off-screen softens the impact, but his off-screen gratitude meant she has some a place in the school after all. With the changing of the guard approaching, the School Counselor spot needed to be filled, and Trixie more than showed she qualifies.
    As clichéd as this sequence can be this season, adding a montage would really help Sunburst show his credentials. In the climax, she hired him after Trixie contacted him via scroll, a passionate interview, and admission of not having to take much care of Flurry Heart anymore. If we see him have a world of fun teaching his students in one of his classes, conversing pleasantly with the students' parents, and then go on a very fun field trip together (maybe to The Crystal Empire to greet Mistmane, Cadance, and Flurry Heart), then you can really sell his passion for teaching. Having her hire him in a quick, expository flash-forward makes the resolution feel a little rushed. Nothing close to ruining it, but makes his hiring as Vice Headmare tough to sell.
    To end this review on a high note:
    This episode does a fantastic job reintroducing the Vice Headmare occupation without contradicting continuity, a point brought up by I_Am_Number_6 on EQD. Back in A Matter of Principals, she hires Discord for the same position after she lost her temper and ruined the buckball field, but he loses his job instantly after the RM6 returned from their "friendship quest." Here, she went through the process with a lot more care and thought, especially since Twilight's soon leaving for Canterlot. In addition to in-episode growth, Starlight shows continual growth, too. Back in No Second Prances (her first self-contained episode post reformation), she forces Big Mac to talk against his will. Here, she understands not everyone's so comfortable to talk and won't force him to do a job he feels he can't. Thank @gingerninja666 and his friend for pointing it out. Also… BAD idea, Whooves! What a big, pleasant surprise to see a brand-new writer take on FIM this late in its running! Ariel Shepherd-Oppenhein did a splendid job in her Pony debut and executed a very solid, very good episode, one that may be Starlight's last once it's all finished.
  4. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Review expanded from here, and credits to a comment by @BornAgainBrony.

    Back in Sonic Rainboom, Rarity showed her vanity, a big flaw to her character that hadn't been shown before. Was her behavior all that positive? Not at all. However, her position was completely believable. For the first time, we watched her gain recognition and attention outside of her comfort zone; it didn't matter if they were staring at her delicate wings or not. So it's easy to see why that vanity-dominant ego influenced her to join the competition as well.
    In Dragon Dropped, her envy for Gabby replaces her vanity. She enjoyed spending all her time with Spike and felt jealous of Gabby, fearing that she could lose not only it, but Spike's memories of her altogether. A combination of envy and fear of being forgotten drove her into assuming she must go to extreme lengths to retain contact with Spike. Like in SR, Rarity’s bad side here was thoroughly explored while not making her unlikeable or out of character, starting with the small and working hard as she could to retain the status quo. Several moments add up:
    Spike initially overhearing Rarity as he wrote his latest note to Gabby, immediately setting the tone of the entire story. The fact that he kept his newfound friendship with Gabby a secret out of fear himself. No one else doing his jobs as good as he, including collecting the gems from the cave without waking the bats. The first montage (which I'll get to in further detail later). Staring crazily at him! (Blink, and you'll miss it!) Not reacting at all after Gabby broke up with him. But Spike’s broadening horizons by becoming a close friend with Gabby meant he was growing, and his friendships around him were maturing. He spent a lot of time with her and helped her grow into a better pony. But with Gabby now in his life, he can further connect with other species. Like the Dragon Lands, Griffonstone’s reputation isn’t the best; to bring Gabby there helps him understand the decreasing prejudice against dragons and connect with someone on a deeper, more mature level.
    So why would Rarity feel jealous of Gabby anyway?
    Fearing a negative reaction, Spike kept his friendship with Gabby a secret ever since he started communicating with her and pretended it never happened. After Gallus began studying overseas in Ponyville, Gabby began to fly over to Equestria more often, which made it more difficult to keep it under wraps. Pay attention to the initial conversation, and from the visual and audio cues, it looks like it had been building for some time, but the open was the first time she grew really suspicious, because he didn't hear her and admitted to having other plans. Turning down invites was rare, but it looks like it was going to become more common. The montage contained are a few sequences: Spike tasting the best gems, carrying her bags as they leave the shop, and relaxing in the spa together. Throughout those three scenes, we see not only how much they enjoy each other's company, but help and adorn each other, too. Even though Spike carried all those bags, she rescued him as he nearly tripped over a step and waited for him until he could see. My favorite's the spa scene, as Spike enjoyed eating those cucumbers. Juxtaposing perfect scenes from the past with present-day struggles and boredom show us how much she misses Spike. Without his inherent wit and loyalty around, things weren't the same. Watching them enjoy their time while she struggled added extra salt into the wound, especially when Spike ate Gabby's maraschino cherry. In the past, there was implication that Rarity occasionally took advantage of him, and although I disagree strongly with the complaint, scenes like Rarity teasing Spike for wearing a cute, pink apron for the dragon migration witnessing meant they can't be dismissed. For most of the series, their friendship and his unrequited crush were in his point of view. For the first time, we see it in hers. By focusing their friendship on her, we connect to her beyond the surface and focus on how important his presence and friendship meant to HER. Going back on how she felt she took it for granted calls back those criticisms, and Haber very wisely and cleverly responds constructively to them, making her do things she wouldn’t do if it were someone else. Yet, their strong, series-long bond makes those decisions and actions believable, helping us understand where she’s coming from, even when when she does bad.
    And needless to say, she does some very selfish things. Take him along that two-day expedition that only occurs once a year, then a two-day vacation to a Power Ponies convention (Rarity, I've been to BronyCon four times; foot-aching comes with the territory ), and finally a day-long gameplay of O&O. All with complete intention to hogging all the time with Spike away from Gabby and make them forget about each other. She baited him, earned the outcome she wanted, but at the cost of a super-depressed Spike and a Gabby with enormous pain in her heart.
    This is why Twilight's presence in Act 3 matters. She's very close to Spike and never saw him like this before. Something was really wrong, and Rarity inadvertently outed herself as the perpetrator. Twilight's quick-thinking and stern disappointment gave her a major wake-up call, solidifying her own doubts of whether they will truly make up or not (suggested by her to start the third act), and making her realize what a massive jerk she was to them both. Friendships change, but it doesn’t mean the good times will end, and she has no business trying to put in effort to "steal" him away when he wanted to be with others.
    Yeah, like what @BornAgainBrony wrote, this episode is clearly playing on the love triangle plot and Rarity’s feelings for Spike without delving into the “romantic” part that loomed over the show for so long. Bringing in Gabby to the fold and establishing connections between them was a really great way to exploit how much she meant to him and vice-versa. However, unlike Tanks for the Memories’s death allegory, the stakes in this one and Rarity’s action match the predicament and tone Haber is conveying, whether it’s romanticism or friendship.
    Speaking of the connection, how Gabby and Spike began their friendship was a great payoff to a flaw from Fault in Our Cutie Mark. In the former, Twilight’s happy “discovery” of griffons getting cutie marks went unresolved. Haber takes advantage of it, using that hanging plot point to establish their “penpalsmanship.” In their time on screen, they show excellent chemistry.
    Rarity was at her most selfish here, and like Twilight in Trivial Pursuit and Fluttershy & Angel from She Talks, she needed to learn how her awful actions affected those around her. In Sonic Rainboom, her vanity nearly cost her her life, but Dash was the lead. In Sweet & Elite, her selfishness put her at risk of choosing her friends and the Canterlot Elite, only to realize what was right when she finally needed to choose. Here, she witnesses these consequences the hard way and was completely responsible for it. Now that she’s much more mature and developed, she can accept the anger from Gabby and disappointment from Twilight better. Swallowing her pride, apologizing to Gabby and Spike, and letting them go on their own after they make up shows her remorse felt genuine.
    Dragon Dropped is Rarity’s best episode of the show. If it’s her last, a phenomenal conclusion.
  5. Dark Qiviut
    Note: This review has been edited to clean up and add more content, and credits go to comments by Sloppy Steve, The Dragon Warlock, and TwilightIsMagic for it.
    Yes, it's true. Real-life snakes can’t eat vegan; they're obligate carnivorous, so they can't digest vegetables in real life. Wolves are also primarily carnivorous, though do eat vegetation at times. If the animals behaved they do here, then yes, having carnivores eat vegan food here would be animal abuse.
    However, the episode makes a very clear distinction that puts the onus on the animals there, and does so in two ways. 
    No animal here behaves like those in real life. They may not talk and act animalistic at times, but they can communicate with those who can talk very well, think, and act sapient. This is especially the case when she talks to Antoine the Snake (as he's very recipient to Fluttershy's words and requests), Scout the Flamingo, and Zecora's "gecko." During the predator/prey support group, Fluttershy proposes an important rule in the sanctuary that everyone (including Antoine) agreed to: no eating other animals inside. From this support group, this isn't the first time carnivores or omnivores tried to eat other animals, and FS's gathering is to get everyone to cooperate and get along. The sanctuary is a safe space for ALL animals big or small. The surrounding ecosystem doesn't have this rule. Another controversy is regarding Zecora's use in the episode. After reading posts by The Dragon Warlock and TwilightIsMagic on EQD, I posted this in the episode discussion and then a followup after doubting some of the criticism from both them and I. From the following, these criticisms still hold up.
    Even though Zecora had no idea at the time that both Angel and Fluttershy swapped bodies or Angel caused massive problems at the sanctuary, it still doesn't excuse her leaving Angel out to run in the dangerous Everfree Forest alone. Understanding how Zecora once caught Swamp Fever and then got nearly eaten by a roc, she should've known better than to just leave "Angel" be. At least carry him back into the heart of Ponyville before letting "him" go. Zecora should've warned them what the potion would do. Yes, she can talk in riddles at times, and when you listen to them more and more carefully, you understand them, and she warned them to take it alone and at home. But by not telling them what would happen to them if they drank them, they get caught in a massive surprise. Alerting them of the consequences would lessen that surprise, make her less of a troll, and give them some input on how to fix it. Until the middle of the second act, Flutterbunny assumed Z erred, only to realize it wasn't the case after their meeting.

    If her wink says anything, her potion intended to swap their bodies until they figure out they each contributed to the conflict. The rest of the criticisms I had of her plan, both of its construction and implications? Hogwash.
    There is another here, too. Bunny!Fluttershy's inability to alert both Twilight and Spike that her body got swapped was supposed to indicate how hopeless it is for her to solve it with help. No one knows about the swap, and without a voice, she can't tell others. However, that helplessness could've been clearer to the audience and not relied on not wondering if using The Stare (which she used successfully on Angel earlier) would get others to notice.
    The rest of the episode, however, is character-driven gold, and their interactions with each other and their environments as both themselves and swapped bodies contributed to the plot, particularly in the humor and drama.
    Back in Putting Your Hoof Down, Angel had not only his worst appearance of the show by far, but also arguably the worst appearance of any character in the whole show. Yes, Angel isn't exactly the nicest and most patient, but it really took him to the next level, making him a massive, abusive, out-of-character brat in order to get what he wants. While this episode doesn't directly connect to that episode at all, his brattiness returns. Unlike the former (and his desire for a salad made exactly the way he wanted), the episode gets the audience to understand his position in a few ways.
    Fluttershy focused all her time on the animal sanctuary and classes that she spends no more quality time with him at all, and it shows in the open. As she stays focused on the task at hand, he wants her to give him some level of attention, but keeps getting ignored. During this exchange, Fluttershy utters a crucial line, which I'll further get to later. After Fluttershy gives Angel a little "carrot-based" idea, he decides to get her attention by disrupting the support group and starting a massive fight, disheveling both Fluttershy and himself. During the brawl, Dr. Fauna explains to Zecora that FS is able to keep the "chaos" under control despite Angel's shenanigans. Of course, Zecora believes things are worse than they look, observes how tension's boiling over, and believes the problem must be solved quickly before it becomes worse. After spotting Fluttershy messaging the "gecko's" sore back, he asks her to message his own in an attempting to get attention, only to be rejected in favor of her responsibilities, and this rejection happens at least twice (the latter one equipped with Fluttershy snapping back and Angel hopping away, upset). Why does Angel mock her in front of Zecora? Because he's frustrated with her spending all of her time with everything else. This culminates to his hasty decision to disobey Zecora and take the potion out in the open. Just prior, Fluttershy wanted to be with him and then immediately felt self-pressured to complete her task. Notice the change in Angel's face from celebratory to concerned to fed up as she showed more and more worry. This doesn't make Fluttershy innocent, though.
    Recall the "crucial line": …and said with a sly smirk. Thanks to that line, Fluttershy suggests she sees his actions as spoiled only.
    When he tries to get her attention, she yells at him, catching the attention of Dr. Fauna. Yes, she immediately regrets it, but it only restarts inside the storage closet. When he wants to taste the carrot concentrate, she's at her wit's end, accusing him of not taking her occupation seriously and wasting her time, culminating with equal growls towards each other.
    Right after they switch bodies, the first thing Flutterbunny instructs Angelshy is to "do her chores" while she hops to Zecora's hut, thinking this body swap was unintentional. Yes, Angelshy acted like a brat and used his newfound physique to poke fun at the Ponyvillagers, but Fluttershy getting her under her control only added to the tension between them. Grabbing his tail, stomping the ground, and applying The Stare only fueled his belief of her being "bossy" and animosity toward the other animals at sanctuary.
    Why does FS's small gesture matter? Because it symbolizes her core judgment to the conflict. Up to this point, she accused Angel of not taking her responsibilities seriously; by literally handwaving, she's suggesting Angel is being spoiled and lazy because he lived with her all her life, and by asking for attention, he's only caring for himself. And, yes, that's true. He doesn't take her job seriously. However, that literal handwave also admits hypocrisy by implicating that she doesn't take him seriously.
    Unlike PYHD, neither side is in the right from the very beginning. Both of them have streaks of not being nice to one another. Yes, they want to get along and be family, but neither believe they're being listened to, yet only worsen matters by not listening to each other. They oversimplify the opposite's conflict and treat their own as more important.
    This equal unpleasantness also helped fuel the comedy, especially Angelshy's reaction to the environment and FS's other relationships. Some examples include:
    Getting very giddy after smelling carrots from Berry Punch's basket. Having initial trouble running to the water fountain. And eventually giving up.
    Angel bossing Sandra around.
    Never piss off Angel!
    The best one, of course, is this:
    Angel's observant around his environments, FS's extended friendships (namely with the draconequus), and is mocking her for it. And for anyone barfing at the shipteasing, it's not like Confalone hasn't done it before.
    So why did Zecora come up with this body-swapping potion? Because she forethought the very source of the conflict and concluded that the only way everything will truly return to normal is to make them understand their own positions and see it themselves.
    Given how they treated each other throughout the first half, the lesson they were going to learn was gonna be tough, and Confalone really showed it.
    Thanks to not having a voice in Angel's body, FS can't properly communicate with anyone beside Angel himself. Her sign language to Twilight, Spike, and later Zecora becomes untranslatable. On her way into the Everfree, her breath begins to shorten, she starts losing her bounce, and barely escaped from a hungry bald eagle. Seeing as she doesn't take him seriously, Angel takes FS's sanctuary job less seriously, too. Rather than focus on the assigned job, he uses his newfound status to gain revenge on Sandra and become as lazy as Rainbow Dash from 246G, such as letting the storage keys stay lodged in Murial's sore trunk, not reminding Scout the Flamingo to shift his legs, and giving Zecora's "gecko" Antoine's cookies. Again, the fact that Angel's jerkish behavior is to be expected along with a grain of sympathy allows us to stomach his actions. Angel's neglect over taking care of her sanctuary  led to massive chaos inside, made Dr. Fauna extremely upset over "Fluttershy" for being so ignorant of the animals' wellbeing (great voice-acting, BTW), and made all the animals distrust Angel after he found out he needed to get the keys out from Murial (who was now dissolving inside Antoine's stomach).

    (And on an unrelated note, Sloppy Steve from EQD made a great point about the "nuanced" storytelling here. The episode could've just let the biology of the predators go after Fluttershy satisfied Antoine's hunger. Instead, his predatory instincts kicked in after Angel took his treat away for the hungry "gecko" — or shall I say, fire lizard — and swallowed his prey whole, just like a real snake.) If Fluttershy was still a pegasus, she would've been able to fly back to the sanctuary without breaking a sweat. But because she's 1/10 the size, she spends a lot of energy hopping and becomes extremely exhausted and dehydrated once she returns. At this point, Angel realizes what he had done, regretted mistreating Fluttershy, and understood how hard it was for FS to work helping the animals in the sanctuary. It took getting the prey and predators to trust him, work together, and dislodge the keys just to take the carrot concentrate out, but carrying that heavy jar without spilling it zapped a lot of strength out from him. Once Flutterbunny wakes up and feels energetic, they share a magnificent heart to heart. No matter how tough the times may be toward each other, they care for each other, and we see it through their contrition, appreciation for what they do for each other, and around them. From now on, they won't take each other for granted. Beyond the lessons Angel and Fluttershy learned, there are a lot of really interesting bits.
    The episode further establishes not only the responsibilities Fluttershy has in the school, but also in the sanctuary. Between teaching, taking care of Angel, and running the sanctuary, it takes a lot of willpower to get through all of it. This is the very first episode since the School opened to deal with anyone juggling through very stressful jobs and how neglecting one causes a chain reaction. Often, bodyswap episodes will have the voices change along with the bodies, like Carpet Diem from Gravity Falls. That doesn't happen here; their bodies change, but not the mind or voices. By doing this, STtA must rely on the animation and voice acting to convince the audience Angel and Fluttershy swapped. Libman, DHX, and Top Draw did an outstanding job here, and you can tell they all had a world of fun.

    With Angel in Fluttershy's body, she doesn't talk all that mellowly. When Angel's in her body, Libman's tone's sharper, hoarse, rude, and louder to make it sound more youthful and "masculine." Thanks to his obsession for carrots, smelling them makes him sound excited and rebellious.

    From the animation point of view, Fluttershy as Angel might've been a little tougher to sell, since she can't speak. But she knew him ever since he was born, so she can utilize the very same language as Angel when he's a bunny. That communication works with Angel, but not anyone else. Plus, as mentioned before, she quickly fatigued from all the jumping, a limit Angel's more aware of than her. As always, Fluttershy has a way with animals, understanding the need to nurture them and remain patient. Grown out of her timid shell, she exudes authority while simultaneously earning respect and trust from the animals and Dr. Fauna. The episode establishes how impactful the animal sanctuary has been to Fauna since opening: Thanks to all the room for them to roam and heal, her job's not so stressful anymore.

    Of course, she lends lots of credit to Fluttershy, saying the sanctuary would be a "zoo" without her, foreshadowing the Freaky Friday-like swap to end Act 1. Since the second season, DHX toyed with pegasi/alicorn wings becoming secondary hands. She Talks to Angel doesn't go mad about it like Parental Glideance (and the winged hands were one of the best parts of the episode), but it did one key moment: Taking care of those animals was a big deal that Angel took for granted. Her matted hair and wrinkle under her eyes proved how much Angel's attitude pushed her close to breaking. Holding her right wing out and pointing at her list — which she held with the other — reminds him she is the authority figure and desperately wants him to listen to her.
    There's some to dislike, but a lot to like. She Talks to Angel resolves Angel's jerkiness from PYHD, intertwines the animal sanctuary quite well, and is the second-best Fluttershy episode of the show.
  6. Dark Qiviut
    The Hunchback of Notre Dame's one of Disney's most underrated and best animated musicals. Darker than normal, but wrought with plenty of humor, drama, and emotion.
    One of the most down-to-earth, emotional songs ever published by Disney comes from this movie: God Help the Outcasts.
     
  7. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Credits to @Cwanky and @OptimisticNeighsayer for this quickieview.
    After Dash had one of the most insufferable appearances of the series, A Trivial Pursuit is somewhat a return to form for Season 9.
    The best part, bar none, is Twilight's arc. While Lesson Zero slowly progressed Twilight into insanity, Twilight began to feel the pressure before the cold open; Spike's attempts to reassure himself and Twilight's obsessive grin and eyes give that away so quickly. When the episode conveniently puts her and Pinkie (who never played the game before)) together, things just went south.
    Now, Pinkie isn't trying to hurt Twilight in any way. She wants to have fun and help Twilight win. However, she was a poor teammate. She wasn't familiar with any of the rules [and apparently never opened the rule book ( )], had no idea that you needed to answer specifically to be awarded points, couldn't interject her own opinion into her answer (putting them both in the red for a bit), and got easily distracted. So the audience can see why Twilight panics and tries to use the rules to get back into the game.
    Of course, like 246G, ATP doesn't show a character at her best or most likeable. Twilight was completely antagonistic and not someone to root for, especially in a game designed for some friendly competition. When you look over the episode, she used the rules to do some really bad things.
    Get Cranky, who did nothing wrong, disqualified for taking a quick nap. Caught Fluttershy taking suggestions from Angel. Dock points from AJ and Dash for taunting each other. Tried to create a new rule in order to penalize Maud and Mud. But the worst thing she did was take advantage of both her knowledge of the rules and Pinkie's lack thereof to bait Pinkie into asking Maud for information within an active category and intentionally get her disqualified so Sunburst can replace her. So why does Twilight’s terrible behavior work much more than Rainbow Dash’s?
    In Greaaat, Dash was completely composed as she bullied her students. Despite an early panic attack, Twilight initially held out hope and tried to coach Pinkie. However, her sanity had already spiraled coming into this moment, especially when Granny read aloud the "Sticks & Stones" category, so she clearly was not in the right mind when she baited PP. DQ’ing Pinkie was the last possible outcome for her, whereas RD’s sour opinions of cheerleading never changed.
      Dash was supposed to teach her students how to cheerlead, but she wanted nothing to do with them and was being less than lazy throughout. From the get-go, she looked for whatever excuse to get out of her classroom, forced them to fend for themselves, and intentionally exacerbated the problem for those who looked forward to making the halftime show as memorable as the tournament itself. OTOH, this episode takes place inside the Hay Burger restaurant. Twilight never had fun the entire time there and became more and more insane as she fell behind. (Notice how her mane's and tail’s neatnesses changed in accordance to her sanity, a nice callback from Lesson Zero.) The stakes here are less weighty than the former.
      Even after her students screwed up, she still couldn’t care less and continued insulting the passion and those who enjoyed it after Yona and Ocellus ran away crying. She didn’t come to her epiphany until Smolder and Snips called her out for it, so her apology didn’t feel contrite until after they re-met and worked hard for the next twelve days. However, despite teaming up with Sunburst, Twilight never got what she wanted. With a goal of maintain a high correct percentage, Sunburst was obsessed to not answer incorrectly and was way more uncooperative than the more innocent Pinkie. All of the humor at her expense during montage #3 works because she completely deserves it. As the climax approached, she remained far behind and nearly got baited into being disqualified herself, only to realize her grave mistake just in time; her remorse is more impactful than Dash’s as a result. Also, this lesson applies much more personally to Twilight here than in Lesson Zero for one crucial reason. The moral of LZ is for the ReMane Five, not her. Here, Twilight is explicitly learning how her freakouts made things miserable to not only herself, but also her teammate and those around her.
    As for the rest:
    When there's an episode light in story as this, it's important to be entertaining throughout. Trivial Pursuit has a load of comedy, but not all of them succeed.

    Like Sparkle's Seven, the animators had a load of fun with facial expressions. Every one of them by Twilight worked very, very well. Probably TOO well. But one specific face failed massively: Pinkie's "TWI-PIE!" face! X__X Pinkie sounds excited and eager to team up with a Twilight. Her overly exaggerated face and how suddenly close up the camera got makes her look as crazy as TS, if not more so. This jump scare is less humorous and more nightmare fuel.

    Other joke-related comments.
    The aftermath of Bulk's brohoof was the funniest of the whole episode.
    I don't need to see a closeup of Pinkie's rumbling tummy along with its gross-sounding growl! X__X
    The audience doesn't need to see a pool of Cranky's drool as he sleeps. Bleh! D:
    Buffalo Man: *hands Twilight a cup of ice*
    Dash's characterization is much better, and her rivalry with Applejack here was funnier and more IC than Compete Crap Clause. Unlike that episode, their competition was contained to the nightclub without getting too insulting, and no one was under the threat of drowning. The best moment between them was AJ not answering the Zap Apple question on time (thanks to Dash's distraction), and on cue:

    @Cwanky makes a fair point about how the Trivia Trot rule book being Twilight's character "in hard copy form." Each rule either aided or hindered her three-peat obsession. These absurd rules are a written extension of both her character and episode arc. However, I share part of what @OptimisticNeighsayer wrote, that it may feel less contrived if other players aside from Twilight used the rules similar to Twi, just to show that using them is a part of the game. In Trivial Pursuit, only Twilight and Sunburst know the rules from front to back. The only rule everyone knows so well is probably the most severe: Asking another team for answer information from within an active category is cheating, and thus you're disqualified.

    As is, the rule book's way to difficult to take seriously in any way, shape, or form. While you have valid anti-cheating rules such as not being allowed to review source material, ones like "no help from pets," "no napping," "no taunting," and "DQ'd players can reassemble into their own team" are way too out there. The book is a blatant plot device. Stuck on the plot? Twilight knows a rule for that!
    Combined with a well-paced story, A Trivial Pursuit brought Season 9 back on track after 2, 4, 6, Greaaat derailed its streak. However, it's weaker than the worst episode of Season 9A, Going to Seed for a big reason: Average for most of the first half, the heartwarming older-younger sister bond between Apple Bloom and Applejack in the second half elevates it. But if the second-worst episode of the season is still good, I'll take it.
  8. Dark Qiviut
    Since the start of Season 2, Rainbow Dash traditionally has the worst episodes of the season and show at large. After a swarm of some great and excellent outings, Season 9 releases its first clunker.
    Smolder had one of her best outings of the season. Representing the student body who wanted the cheerleading to work, she put up with all of Dash's crap and gave her the calling-out she so rightfully deserved.
      After Dash gives an apology that didn't sound so contrite, she actually proved she meant it by helping her students practice. And if you look at the montage, you'll see how much effort Dash put into coaching them to be the best they can be and the students placing their trust back into her.
      Snips continues his capitalist streak, trying to sell as much as possible to buckball fans and goers. And he inadvertently made Dash see the errors of her ways.
      Celestia going all fanatical remains the episode's funniest moment.
      And the buckball scene as a whole (minus one moment, which I'll get to) holds up well enough. That's all the positives. The rest of this episode was just a colossal train wreck.
    There's one piece of dialogue, where after it all ends, that really spoils the mood.
    And attached with a snarky, conceited face and tone.
    So why is Twilight going all Trollight the worst moment of the season so far?
    It calls back memories of what the RM5 did in Mare Do Well and 28PL, the former one of the most infamous of the entire series. Rather than tell Dash upfront, they go behind their backs just to make her get it, and the tone attached to them is cruel and unbecoming of not only anyone who truly cares for a friend, but also the show. For those two, it took until being confronted by them at the very end with them actually telling her to her face. 28 Pranks Later has the worst atmosphere of the two, because rather than fix the problem, they exacerbated MDW's worst problems and made a worse version of that episode. Here, Dash learns her lesson well before the climax, and Twilight doesn't see the transformation taking place, but imagine if she didn’t. What if Twi told her at the end? Can you imagine just how dirtier that would feel to the audience?
      Just to teach Dash a contrived lesson, Twilight intentionally put the whole tournament at risk. Had Twilight decided not to make Dash the cheerleader coach beforehand, none of what happened would've existed. Dash would be at home teaching buckball and not feel demoted and deflated. She started a conflict that should never have existed in the first place.
      But what does making that snide, passive-aggressive line admission also mean? Twilight knew well in advance that Dash would not take this “demotion” very well, do less than minimum effort to help the students prepare for the halftime show, try to sneak away and get involved with it, potentially ruin all hope they have for it, and make them quit cheerleading practice. Like the Ponyvillagers in MDW, she used both Dash and her students as guinea pigs just to make Dash learn a lesson. This is one of her most out-of-character moments of the whole series, as it shows no trust with Dash and the student body. That final exchange is an admission of no confidence, yet the episode paints her in the right for pulling such a disgraceful stunt. Trollestia was the worst part of both Ticket Master and Bird in a Hoof, as she treated the Mane 6 (and for the latter, her sick phoenix) as a means to an end. Trollight adopting that same "quality" doesn't make it any better or more humorous.
    Because this episode's Mare Do Well 2.5, it's easy to see why many don't take it very well. Mare Do Well is factually terrible, and its infamy means it should've been put in the background and not to be reminded of again. This episode and the ending feel a lot like a multi-down and an admission by DHX of having continuous difficulties writing/editing her well.
    Those reactions also remind me of my own following Princess Spike's ending. After a mess of an episode and conflict, Spike was given a bouquet of Dragon Sneeze trees, restarting his allergies and forcing him to sneeze at the rebuilt statue. What made that moment so atrocious is how it solidifies a very sexist position within the show. Spike had been the show’s buttmonkey from the beginning, and several episodes either neglected him despite being an important part of Twi’s life (like not being at Twi’s birthday) or made him the butt of very unfunny slapstick (Owl’s Well, the Spikeabuse from Fall Weather Friends and Castle Mane-ia). Additionally to being the only non-pony of the Mane cast, he was the only male. Beating down the only male lead in a pro-feminist show is as misandrist and anti-feminist as it comes.
    Now, is Twilight’s line as bad as that atrocious, sorry excuse for a "joke"? Not even close. PS's "joke" made me wonder whether FIM jumped the shark, a dose of irony after Slice of Life subtly satirized it. Twilight's admission, as awful as it is, isn't nearly that low. To this day, I still don't regret my tirade over it. Thankfully, Spike had more than half a season, several more from that point forward to recover. From that day forward, he hasn’t had an episode close to this level of quality since. Unfortunately for Dash, we’re now in the last season, and if you look at the synopses of what’s to come,
    Also, Kaita Mpambara is one of the best new writers, so for him to write such a stinker is massively disappointing.
    However, just because Twilight intentionally placed Dash in an unfavorable position doesn't mean Dash is entitled to take her disappointment out on the students. With RD being the focus, we see how she feels and reacts to her surrounding. What we got here is Rainbow Dash's Honest Apple.
    In Honest Apple, Applejack wasn't initially sure she would be the right pony to judge on practicality, but after Apple Bloom (inexplicably) had trouble with her hat. So even though Applejack became Applejackass, it didn't start out that way. She went into this process without ill intentions. However, Rainbow Dash never got on the right foot with Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, or the two cheerleading valley mares (Shimmy Shake & Lighthoof).

    What was her reaction to Twi over its importance? …Nice support for your students, Ms. Cools-a-little.
    From the get-go, Rainbow Dash not only showed absolutely zero interest in teaching the students how to cheerlead, but made less-than-minimal effort. Let's go over her sins one by one, shall we?
    Shimmy Shake and Lighthoof were apparently students at the school. But Dash apparently doesn't recognize them very well and passively dissed their cheerleading routine by rolling her eyes at them. However, even if Shimmy and LH may not interest her, she could've been inspired by Ocellus's desire for respect, Smolder's subtle feminine curiosity, and Yona's eagerness to fuel her in helping all five practice. Instead, what does she do? Remain completely apathetic towards cheerleading as a whole, ignore Snips's (bit-centric) reminder that Twilight put her faith in her, and put her focus completely on the constructing buckball field over her own classroom.

    Their first practice in front of her was loaded with problems, including Yona's inability to not cause a classroom earthquake, Ocellus's timidity, and Smolder's poor smoke direction. But Dash pays no attention, her focus out at the window. She doesn't see one second of it. As far as she's concerned, as long as they just perform in front of her, it's all she and the buckball audience would give a shit about.
      As long as someone else with more passion than her can teach them, then she can watch ponies practice and build the field. Even though Snips's focus is bit-centric, he showed to be no fool these days. However, his vague wording of needing a coach so he can "make any bits" led her to her scheme, which was a disaster.



    …

    …

    Seriously, Dash? You really think everything will be A-OK? You think that they will rather have Snips, who's completely unqualified to teach or tutor in any form of athletics, over you?
     

    Yet, she uses that "come-up-with-something" idea to blindfold her students and try to sneak out, and would've succeeded had Yona not peaked. "Come up with something" isn't an excuse to be damn LAZY and do NOTHING under a cheap guise.
    After being suggested to "turn to her friends for help," she did just that and spent the rest of the first day of practice asking her friends. But she gets only the equipment. She literally is doing "what she needs" just to get stuff. No tips on how to work with them safely, arrange them properly so the practice and the dance routine improve, etc. In layman's terms:
    Lo and behold, they practice for the rest of the day and fuck everything up in the worst "comedy" routine of the season! What does Dash do? Completely ignore it and act like it never existed. When she turned around to see them all glum and upset, her only reaction was a disinterested "What?"
    Hmmmmmmmmmm…
    …now what does that remind me of?

    Oh, yeah, this little shit!!
    AJ's act of shaking all those feathers off Lily Lace's hat after uniquely stitching them one by one overnight is by far the cruelest act between the two episodes, but Dash's words were much worse. In HA, AJ stereotyped fashion at a boiling point (though her following words while much more composed doesn't help her at all) and at least gave it a chance. Here, Dash maintained a negative, narrow, stereotypical viewpoint of cheerleading before Twilight assigned her, maintained it throughout, and then remorselessly showed her disgust for it and those willing to perform and make it good in spite of her laziness! Even worse, despite being visibly upset, she still didn't see the big deal in how hurtful her actions were!

    *facehoof* Sweet Celestia!
    Look, I get it. Being assigned to a job you don't like sucks. No one likes it. But this isn't about you. It's them. THEY agreed to take part in the School of Friendship's cheer squad, because THEY were interested and knew Dash was the most athletic and best one to properly rally! Dash, you're a TEACHER. It's your job as a TEACHER to HELP THEM! It's one thing to be so oblivious towards their screwups. It's another to severely flanderize her ignorance, pretend they don't exist, act so disinterested when they badly mess up, directly insult them, and STILL don't care!

    I read one comment somewhere, and I can't find it, but that brony's right. Dash, why are you a teacher? This is the second time you were a selfish piece of shit. What you did with AJ on that boat is way, way worse than this, but that doesn't make your despicable, out-of-character actions here any better. If you truly needed help like you claimed, you coulda, I don't know, look in the library yourself and work with the students to hone their craft! Neighsay bashed the school in part because the teachers are professionally unqualified. Congratu-pony-lations for proving him right again!

    *AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!*
      Ain't it odd that Dash suddenly bashed the idea of cheering? IIRC, she had no problem teaching someone how to cheer eight seasons ago!
     
    Sure, teaching someone how to cheer from in the stands is much more different than cheerleading, which is pre-planned and organized. That doesn't mean she can't use those lessons here, but that would've been a leeeeeeeetle too helpful for her students, wouldn't it? Needless to say, this episode sucks. Today, it's the worst of the season and yet another Dash-centric flop.
    However, despite bashing Dash's characterization and discontinuity, it's not close to the worst of the show or her worst appearance ever. Several episodes prior handled her way worse than this.
    May the Best Pet Win, Tanks for the Memories: Abusive to animals. The former by being cruel to those who want to be her pet and dismissive toward Tank. The latter for treating her company with Tank to be more important than keeping her alive. Sorry not sorry, Dash DOESN'T deserve pity over having to wait three months during the winter!
      Rainbow Falls: Gaining an ego and then actually thinking about abandoning the relay team representing her town in favor of the “cooler” Wonderbolts squad.
      Mare Do Well: No explanation required.
      28 Pranks Later: Jumpstarted the MDW ripoff by scaring the daylights out of FS while knowing she hates being pranked, and then the whole town, including SCOOTALOO, decided to get her back.
      Newbie Dash: What supposed to be her milestone episode turned out to be the biggest torture porn of the entire show. Three years later, it remains FIM’s biggest black mark.
      Compete Crap Clause: Lusting to win Teacher of the Month, she and AJ focus more on winning than the Young Six’s safety, causing a Yona to nearly drown! Rather than learn their lesson, they act passive-aggressive toward each other and nearly became bite-a-cuda dinner!  When Rainbow Dash wised up, she was remorseful, apologized, and worked hard to help the students make the cheerleading become the go-to moment of the tournament. Despite her terrible behavior, she put in the effort to make up for it, a commendable act by her. Yeah, it’s the worst episode this season, but compared to almost the rest I listed, it’s not terrible.
    Lastly, it's understandable that some may feel DHX, particularly the crew from S6 onward, hates Rainbow Dash. But if they do, then we wouldn't have the following:
    Stranger Than Fan Fiction: OK, this episode isn't as good as what many say, but only due to Quibble suddenly acting like an idiot while in the jungle (thinking it's all a game). OTOH, Dash was fantastic as a fantastic foil.
      Top Bolt: A better climax could've really helped this episode. But Twi and Dash worked hard to help out Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail and were able to fix their friendships. Their portrayals were among the best of S6.
      Glideance: Dash’s Putting Your Hoof Down, and done right.
      Grannies Gone Wild: An episode that has no business being great, but it is. Initially wanting no part in it and trying to skip out, she immediately sees the error of her ways and works tirelessly to keep the Golden Mares safe. Despite all of the comedy at its expense, Berrow's episode reminds us to sympathize with her, not think she had it coming. She rightfully earned her way to the roller coaster.
      The End In Friend: NCC and Mare Do Well done right. Their argument was very believable and had every right to defend their own interests when the other didn't take theirs seriously. But they used their interests and strengths to realize how much they still mean to each other.
      The Washouts: An excellent sequel to Wonderbolts Academy, and Dash’s best episode. Like its predecessor, it balances her strengths and flaws very well, transitions between Dash's insecurity and worries for Scoot's safety flawlessly, and doesn't demonize her for any of it.
      Common Ground: An amazing followup of STFF with a personal touch, and Dash's best outing of the season. Tries her best to help Quibble learn buckball to bond with his stepdaughter, accidentally messes up, and steps back up to continue helping him until she found the right resolution. Most importantly, as disappointing as 246G is, this is Season 9's only folly. Many more episodes remain. If you wish, you can open the spoiler box beneath for brief commentary on the early-aired episodes:
    So, yeah, it's a bad episode, but not the worst, and whenever the show ends, she still has many good episodes.
  9. Dark Qiviut
    The 1960s was a very tumultuous time with a lot of assassinations, such as JFK in '63 and Malcolm X in '65. 1968 had two high-profile ones: MLK Jr. that April and RFK two months later.
    As bold as any show then and now, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood tackled this very difficult subject front and center with utmost care and respect. This clip came from a nighttime special in recent response to RFK's murder and mass media's graphic display of it:
     
  10. Dark Qiviut
    The Duck Knight Returns is perhaps the best episode of the new DuckTales. Of the many reasons why, the brilliant commentary on fandom's one of the most creative. It's able to comment about fandom without being mean, narcissistic, or retaliatory to criticism. It knows how to shape this commentary into the canon with nuance and care. There are five specific points that really shape up this commentary.
    Launchpad (representing the older fans) had a valid argument against the Darkwing Duck movie. The trailer hinted that DWD knowingly hurt people, even though he was a hero in the TV series. LP realized how out of character Movie!DWD was and justifiably criticized it. The episode never mocked him for complaining or took his opinions as a joke.
      When Launchpad wanted to show how good the original DWD is, Jim Starling manipulated him into doing something that contradicts his morale: trap the "replacement" in his trailer. Recall this line. He understands what he's doing isn't right. A contradiction of everything he knows and loves of DWD. But Starling successfully tapped into that "irrational fan" in him and make him believe that he must trap and hurt the "replacement" in order to truly capture his glory.
    All throughout the fight, his conscience outwardly battled him. As well as believing he had to fight the actor, he really didn't want to. Every time he tried to fight him or fling him, he was immediately apologetic. When he was so close to damaging rare DWD collectibles, he stopped.
    Once the brief, hilarious fight ended, the actor and LP weren't foes anymore. They became friends. The actor is a lot like the crew working on DuckTales or any other creation today. Darkwing Duck's a cashcow (and like what another reviewer said, all products that make money are technically cashcows), but some lack that soul than others.

    For the DuckTales crew, this is their dream becoming reality. They're big fans of DWD, DT, and probably many other Disney Afternoon properties (they wouldn't sneak in TaleSpin and Goof Troop Easter Eggs for no reason). The original DT is an inspirational classic a representation of a fan's dream becoming reality, and now they use their vision to inspire future generations of animators, fans, and storytellers. The actor represents that same role; yes, the movie's not good, but he's as big a DWD fan as anyone, and hopes to someday inspire future generations too.
    The path to friendship between LP and the new actor is very symbolic to this show and the cartoon medium at large to date.
    How CN's reboots of Teen Titans, PPG, and Ben 10 understandably made many people wary of the DT reboot.
    How updates of the new DT, Woo-oo!, and future episodes excited people and gave them hope.
    How many DT and DWD fans were very disappointed when DWD was a TV show within the new canon. Well, after this episode, nobody was questioning them now.
    Through great writing, creative ideas, and brilliant execution, fans who grew up with the old, fans who are now professionals working on the new, and fans inspired by the new can unite and enjoy a product together.
  11. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Copied and pasted from here and edited.

    Rainbow Roadtrip took quite sometime before the plot actually began to move. Until Mayor Skies sung about Hope Hollow's descent into despair, it spent a great deal of time showing what went on inside that "luxury resort," the ponies' behavior, and the mayor's façade when leading the tour. But all of this took about one-third of the 60-minute runtime. That's way too long, and the lack of humor makes this plot develop bland and way too simple. The songs aren't the best of the series or up to par of Best Gift Ever's introduction. The lyrics and melody feel unfinished, clumsy, and lack the rhythm. In comparison to the movie or BGE, Rainbow Roadtrip's much more mellow, and that was the point. However, say what you wish about the former outings; they weren't boring, and all the action keeps the audience engaged. By making RR's plot so simple, the mellow direction makes this story very bland. Collectively, the last two seasons have some of the best dialogue of the series. Another couple of rounds of editing would've helped tighten it and give it some more humor. But it has its own strengths.
    It's competent. The movie ignored a world of continuity to connect the story, mainly Twilight's inability to possess the staff through her magic or teleport, and even the thought of Discord or Shining Armor existing. In BGE, Fluttershy's intelligence was zapped so Flim and Flam could get away with their scheme for a few more hours. Here, despite no stakes at any point, it doesn't contain any big mistakes, and it especially not an ableist post office scene. Every action makes sense. When Twilight needed to teleport, she did. When Fluttershy needed to help acquaint ponies, she did. Everyone's in character and not basic at all. Already wrote this before, but I'll write it again. Applejack and FS were merely there in the movie, and neither Dash, Spike, nor Rarity did much. Twilight and Pinkie were easily the most complete with the former taking over most of the spotlight. (The movie had the M6 saving the day, but Twilight had one of the two biggest character arcs.) RR balances all six much more naturally, using their best strengths to help revive hope within Hope Hollow. Early on, the characters show their flaws, like Dash's ego and Twilight's perfectionism. After Mayor Sunny Skies explained what happened to Hope Hollow, they show why they bear the Elements of Harmony. Sometimes their methods to help Hope Hollow regain hope took a little more time, but they remained patient throughout, convinced their lessons will help them. There's no antagonist, and do we need one? Nope! Everyone is grumpy, because they feel Hope Hollow won't return to its glory days. The fact that there's no Rainbow Festival to cheer ponies up increased the hopelessness and despair of the whole town. Mayor Sunny Skies also felt responsible for causing the town to lose its color and ruining the legacy his family left behind for him, even though Petunia tried tirelessly to convince him otherwise. Because he felt so guilty over his supposed accident, you can't help but root for him and the M6's quest to revive the festival so he can let it go (no pun intended ). Its biggest strength: It's so wholesome. Hope Hollow's split and bitter, and after he told his story, they worked to strengthen each others' relations. Their methods to help them and kindness were genuine, and they really worked with everyone to help them recreate the Rainbow Festival's magic.

    Like Rarity herself, Kerfuffle's a fashion designer, but because of Hope's hopeless magic, she now feels shy about exposing her creations with others, fearing rejection and lack of appreciation. With the Rainbow Festival's revival, Rarity gave her the confidence and guidance needed to showcase her talents and earn that respect.

    Dash realized Barley and Pickle had trouble flying, so she gradually trained them.

    Twilight worked with Petunia to find a spell powerful enough to repel the gloomy magic blanketing the town.

    Torque Wrench felt unappreciated working as the mechanic and carpenter of Hope Hollow, working out of necessity. But Applejack, understanding how it takes a lot of understanding the craft to fix more than just the billboard, gave her the needed confidence to rebuild the rainbow generator.

    The Hoofingtons and Moody Root were long-time neighbors, but didn't get along, and Moody refused to share his apricots with them. But Pinkie's happy-go-lucky charm and Fluttershy's openness to others created a bridge for them to communicate and exchange.

    It's charming, heartfelt, and warm, and you feel so happy to see them succeed. This special's a very pleasant surprise. I didn't expect much, but I'm glad to be wrong. Between the film, BGE, and this, I may prefer the film. But which of the three is the best? My vote goes to Rainbow Roadtrip. And it's Kim Beyer-Johnson's best episode so far.
  12. Dark Qiviut
    Between Dark and Dawn marks the next chapter for the goal from the premiere: Celestia and Luna will retire, so the RM7 will take their place when they're ready. Capping the first half with this episode fits with the arc to a T, especially with the sprinkling of continuity throughout the season thus far. The fact that Gail Simone, one of the best comic writers, was invited to write the first Royal Sister episode of the show fits the grand nature of what S9 has felt for the past several episodes. If you're going to wrap it up, do it while on top.
    Season 9A is the most consistently good half of the series: Over half of the first eleven were great, and what wasn't great was still good. Between Dark and Dawn increases the percentage of great episodes, and it's the third-best episode of Season 9, only behind both Sparkle's Seven and The Last Crusade.
    So why is it so great? Time to break it down!
    LO-FUCKING-L!
    I know little of Simone's comic writing, but according to Voice of Reason in his latest At the Screening, she has really excellent comedic timing. Well, easy to see why: BD&D's littered with hysterical moments throughout. Some of the best are the following:
    You know what's coming!
       
    Y'said what everybrony was thinking. Celestia could've been involved everywhere, and they went with a simple trespass of Tank's hungry great-great-great-great-great grandfather.  
    While Luna and Celestia went on vacation for the first time in forever, several ponies reacted really hilariously. Three favorites include one stallion (Fond Feather) fainting as they walked by, one mare taking a selfie while Celly naps on her head, and a stallion backing away from them in the post office (a scene that I'll get to later). And it's easy to see why. They're the most famous ponies in all of Equestria, yet spend almost their whole lives cooped up in Canterlot Castle. So once you pass them when you least expect it…well, can y'blame 'em?!
    Dash incredulously asking why the swanifying ceremony was so important.
    In addition, this episode has a plethora of really goofy faces, taking full advantage of the cartoony medium. The fact that a very famous writer agreed to write for an episode and the overall absurd tone accompanying it gave the crew ample opportunity to go for it wherever. If I go through a lot of them, I'd be overloading slower browsers with all the pictures… Oh, what the hell!
    Y'know y'screwed up when Pinkie's cross. Feelin' a wee giddy there, I presume?
    Not feelin' the Aloha spirit, I guess.
    This episode is loaded with detail, and this tiny one is no exception. Celestia glaring at the goofed-up face of herself. Luna fighting off fits of laughter. The sculptor not having any clue about his screw-up.
    Luna doesn't like the thrills. That said, wait for that Luna face again.
    Goth Celestia? How amusing.


    Ruling a kingdom ain't easy, whether it's for celebrating the agency of swans or manipulating position of the sun and moon. That FACE is Twilight at her most exasperated.
    Of course, the funniest of them all.
    Recall Luna's face while riding Flim and Flam's roller coaster? That face comes back again, only this time with Celestia's excitement.
    With all these faces, it's easy to see how much fun the storyboarders and animators had with these scenes. But even with all of them, they don't ruin the moment when it gets serious or turn gross. They push and toe the point of being uncanny without crossing that imaginary border. Each time they make that face, it's laugh-out-load hilarious. The little scores and voices help time them, too.
    More to come later.
    Swanversion of expectations.
    One big strength of FIM that doesn't get much credit anymore is its ability to subvert expectations to the audience. Back in Season 1, the show built a reputation of flipping clichés on their head, such as making the prince a vain jackass, a female unicorn who works beyond the call of duty to deliver the best quality possible, or a realistic approach to sisterhood conflict. How does this episode do this? Via swans. Stereotyped as elegant and gracious, the swans here are not presented this way at all. They're impatient, and temperamental, and aggressive, all with enough agency to make the RM7 know their place. When they found out who was leading the gala, they honked crossly at them. These moat-wandering, spoiled, Pony version of castle gators commanded respect; when things didn't go their way, they let Twi and friends have it. Celestia knew it, and while they were on vacation, they have every reason to count on them to solve it without their help.
    Fancy seeing you here!
    As Twilight helps run Equestria while Celestia and Luna vacation, the first main thing they must accomplish is hosting the Swanifying Gala. But little did Twilight know that Fancy Pants (welcome back!), Jet Set, and Upper Crust would be there to help out. Granted, it was very dumb of her to reject their help without observing Celestia's scroll of instructions, yet this isn't purely her fault here. No one warned her that someone would come to assist her. For all she knew, they entered unannounced and had no idea how to help set it up. This was Twilight's first taste of how to run and eventually understanding how no one pony can run an important royal event, much less a kingdom, alone. Leaders need help.
    Some rudeness aside, Fancy Pants was quite reasonable, and his sternness was completely justified.
    Neither he nor his aristocratic clients entered Canterlot Castle because they felt like it. They're familiar with the Swanifying Gala and lead the Royal Swanifying Committee. He knows how it works, and with Upper and Jet helping him, they can delegate for the gala so it can all be finished on time. Twilight turning them away surprised them and implicated that they know more that they do. However, their disorganization setting up the gala meant ignoring other critical points of government. By falling back, they can't help negotiate a deal with the street sweepers and help the carpenters complete their own jobs. So why does this matter to Fancy? Canterlot trusts him; Celestia wouldn't hire him to lead the committee for no reason. Everyone there — even down to the swans, who are promised watercress — are his constituents. By getting involved and lending his voice to those more unfortunate than him, their complaints amplify. Fancy makes sure they are heard and the RM7 listen. Plus, as head of the committee, the gala adheres to specific formal standards. With his experience, he can accurately judge if it holds up to it or not and mandate changes if they don't. The tablecloth decorations clearly don't, so Rarity had to delegate someone else to help her. When they realized what to do, he lets his monocle down and trusts them to finish the job. While this may not be as entertaining as the A-plot, it's important, nevertheless. This is the first time they run a kingdom together, so this was good practice. Hiccups aside, they prove their worth for now.
    The AliTeam!
    But the meat of the story is Celestia and Luna. Now, this ain't the first time they shared a humongous portion of an episode. A Royal Problem dealt with long-standing friction between them, but for almost the entire 22-minute run, they acted like they hated each other, making up only after Starlight nearly scarred herself with a massive nightmare. Secondly, Starlight was the main character, not them. Most of it was in her point of view or sympathetic toward hers. Eight and a half seasons in, but FIM finally wrote them co-leading an episode.
    In addition, this was A Royal Problem written much, much better. How? Instead of making them forget how much they loved each other, they loved each other both in the beginning and at the end. Their fight slowly progressed, crescendoing at their private picnic, without degrading them. The many moments throughout the episode not only showed their relationship, but added touches to their characters. Going over milestones one by one.
    For long-time watchers like myself, the criticism of Celestia and Luna being inactive, whether via capture or not appearing at all, makes some level of sense, especially during the Chaos Theory and Cosmo arcs and movie. This episode, self-aware, pokes a little clever fun at itself, setting the tone of both the episode as well as their relationship. Even though they're major beings in Equestria, they're still sisters. Each time they "helped" was always as a team. This shot — as they exchange eye contact and hold hooves — reminds us in a very funny, over-the-top manner. Unless you read the comics, the show rarely explored them as a sibling bond and individual characters. Often they appear as royal heads only. That all changed with this one scene: How is this important? This is the first time the audience ever watched them act like actual sisters throughout a scene. They may be wearing regalia, but they're not behaving like royalty here. A tight connection between them is revealed, and nowhere nearly as muted as their hoof-holding during Slice of Life's moral recitation. Reading to bow their hair, they share immense excitement for the upcoming trip and offer grand ideas to share their moments together.

    That said, the episode subtly lays the groundwork for their eventual fight. They disagree with how to spend that time on vacation, and it's easy to see their perspectives. Just like the Fifty Shades series, Princess Celestia's day shift is SOOOOOOOO boring! On the other hand, Luna spends all night settling nightmares and other forms of dreams so they can sleep. So adventuring and relaxation, respectively, would be welcoming changes to their routines. But most importantly, Luna says this: Here, doubt clouds above them, potentially leading to an argument. However, just like the Angry Swans, Between Dark and Dawn subverts expectations once again, cutting off the idea to make way for a compromise. When it's possible to introduce disagreement (i.e., Celestia's uncertainty toward the Hawaiian shirts and forgetting to warn Luna of the snack's awful flavor), they go back to being caring sisters once more.
    "Lotta Little Things" is one of the best songs of the series. Similar in tone to The Smile Song, its happy jingle bounces off the sisters' hooves and into the viewer's mind, and the catchy lyrics accentuate its giddy tone. Also, the animation in two of the sequences is creative. Aside from the clever Easter Eggs (yes, I know about Capper, and Wicked's an awesome musical! ), by making the ground round like a globe, it reinforces the jolly mood of the song and shows how far they traveled to do those activities.

    Beyond just the great lyrics, it also subtly advances their conflict.

    At the start, they cooperate and have a world of fun together, and several of the shots are adorable! Celestia at Not-Toys-R-Us cuddling with all the humongous plushies as Luna giggles, Luna fails to create the illusion of holding onto the Great Horseshoe, Luna giggling at the Celestia & Luna sculpture shown earlier, Luna playing the banjo (with some of the most imaginative rhyming since Stop the Bats), and especially Celly and Luna huddling as Jack Pot and Big Bucks perform. <3

    However, after the second chorus, they start subtly disagreeing more. Still seeking thrills, Celestia looks for more adventure. But Lethargic Luna is exhausted and wants to take a break. From that point forward, they begin to disagree on what "fun" is, like Celestia getting bored watching Wicked, Luna nearly dying from fright swimming with sharks and barreling down Neighagra Falls. The last lyrics succinctly point out this change in tone.
     
    The post office scene is one of the best of the entire episode. Beyond the zipline, this really showcases the vast difference of opinion of fun. Celestia's so used to it, but as stated in episode, Luna's traditionally asleep at night, so she never experiences it, so what's mundane to Celly excites her like a little filly. And this scene is loaded with comedy spots and the most adorable Luna has ever been.
    Luna prancing like a little filly while waiting. (Awwwwwww! )

    A stallion slowly backing away from the line in surprise.
    DERPY as cute as ever!
    Luna wiggling her eyebrows at Celestia and singing "Wait for it…!".
    Bored, Celestia takes out her pocketwatch as the secondhand ticks.
    The whimsical "du-d-du" as she mails her postcard (which has their cutie marks on the written side!).
    "It's about the PROCESS!" Now who trusts the process more, her or 76ers fans?
    In addition to Luna at her most adorkable, it created a clever transition to make both of them stop seeing eye to eye and getting more and more angry at each other. They wanted to have fun, but with their sister there, the whole vacation was less joyful and more chore-ful. Their tug of war and ripping the bucket list in half symbolically marked the point where they stopped compromising with each other and quit enjoying being in each others' company.

    Their picnic scene was the major boiling point. The moment Simone built up over the first two-thirds. Luna's accusation was childish, but the episode shows us several moments to understand where she's coming from, such as taking part in more extreme events late in the song, getting extremely upset at her makeup being ruined, and then being forced to leave an opera in the middle of a performance. What did Celestia do? Shout and use the Canterlot voice in her face. So it's completely believable of her to feel unwanted.

    However, what she also did was accuse of her of believing Celestia wants nothing to do with her at all, and despite the huge disagreement with each other, she clearly doesn't want her to stay sealed in the moon. Celestia wants to enjoy life and not feel cooped up in the castle. But because their anger feels so raw, emotion dominates logic.

    Also, because that anger feels so down to earth, it's hard to watch. Compared to their fight from A Royal Problem, it wasn't petty. However, unlike Twilight and the gang from The Mean 6, they don't immediately make up. Spending several long hours alone, they're deservedly reminded of how much they need each other. Canterlot isn't complete with one Royal Sister.
    But as the fight shows the hardships of sisterhood, the late-night scene at the mountain proves they still love each other. Luna reminiscing the times Celestia taught her to watch the stars to search for the lucky ones allowed the story and characters themselves to close the conflict without rushing. They talked to each other, expressed why they felt the way they felt, and became a closer unit.

    Does this warm you?



    …I'll take that as a yes.

    Between Dark and Dawn is a phenomenal addition to FIM's growing lineup of great episodes. Great humor, great characterization, and great heart. Whether it's the B-Plot of The RM7 struggling to run a gala at the most inopportune time to Celestia and Luna distancing themselves and later reuniting, there's a lot to unpack and love. The little details add extra shape to the atmosphere and story, like ponies fainting or taking a selfie upon seeing them or Luna teasing Celestia in the post office, and help improve a good episode into a great one.
  13. Dark Qiviut
    As fun as reviewing FIM episode’s is, sometimes you just don’t have the interest every now and then and wanna take a little break.
    I already commented what I wanted to comment regarding The Last Crusade (which ain’t much), and others have already filled in thoughts similar to mine. If others did so already, then I’m parroting. It’s fun to be featured in Loganberry’s Text Review Roundups every week, but getting them done early enough means sometimes wanting to write large chunks deep into the night, and that’s not good. I already commented and apologized for screwing up to reach a “deadline,” and I’m now more careful in crafting them and editing them far better. But yeah, it still feels good and exciting to see your hard work on other platforms. Unfortunately, now I’m starting to feel like my review quality’s beginning to slip (I rewrote most of my Student Counsel review for my blog, because my original was mostly a recap instead of an analytical breakdown), and I’ve been getting Writer’s Block when starting my reviews. Also, I don’t have the time for most of this week and wanna use a chunk of it for exercise, resting my bum ankle, attending a play, and catching up on the new DuckTales. So, I won’t review Last Crusade this week. I’m the last regular FIM review blogger for this forum. I neither wanna drop that to zero nor publish content without assuring I’m doing my best. Hopefully, a week off to recover and put no pressure on myself will help once Between Dark and Dawn airs on DF this Saturday.
  14. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Expanded my thoughts from here and here.

    Being Starlight's first episode of Season 9 and from a prior synopsis, one could guess a low-stakes episode, magic-oriented, or possible repeat of a Every Little Thing She Does. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. Magic's involved, but it wasn't central to the story. With her friends off for Spring Break, she's running the school now until they return, and she needs something to organize her time in school while also not being in office. Casting an alert curse on a bracelet was convenient and made sense: Once they need her help, she'll be right there.
    Unfortunately, she didn't foresee what was to come. Her schedule just before Spring Break became so hectic that she not only got many ponies lined up, but Silverstream came over several times for very small problems related to an unnamed project. And to make matters worse, Starlight was unable to help Trixie gather the right objects for Maud and Mud’s spring solstice party the next morning (with Sunburst invited, too) and Trixie had to prepare it all by herself. The episode spends a good amount of time gradually building tension, starting with the innocent(ly funny expressions by Trixie) and ending with the stressful. Some examples include:
    Trixie casually drinking tea and eating sandwiches as Starlight juggles between her office and the picnic. Starlight helping her students while trying (and failing ) to hide her nerves. As Trixie reminds her of the errands, Starlight stays conspicuously silent as she looks around and taps her hooves. As Ocellus deals with her identity crisis, Starlight tries to solve it while rushing through. Starlight leaving the store once her bracelet buzzes, accidentally dropping the streamers she plans to buy. After Starlight realizes she missed out on everything and failed to keep her promises, she crouched and smacked her muzzle on the ground. Suddenly, her bracelet rang again. During this first third of the story, a lot of great faces were animated to accentuate the stress building up amongst themselves and each other, like their eyes increasing size, Trixie's sneers, Smolder's smirk, and Starlight's anguish. The dialogue was also top-notch, adding to both the humor and drama.
    Additionally, despite being Starlight-centric, Haber doesn't write Trixie in the wrong for expecting her to keep her promise, too. Yes, Starlight was justified to not keep 'em, even though she tried her hardest to keep up. Being in charge of the school for now, she's responsible for their safety and guidance if need be. To her, rejecting any help could mean missing out on something truly important to solve and letting Twilight et al down. Nevertheless, Haber doesn't let Trxie's feelings go or feel marginalized, spending good time airing her frustrations and then confronting her after taking care of the party arrangements. So when Silverstream asked for help one more time, the moment when Starlight turned her away and took off her bracelet until the Break ends made sense and didn't feel rushed through.
    So when Terramar alerted her that Silverstream vanished and then called her out for turning her away (Thanks, Trixie ), could you blame her feeling terrible for the whole thing? By closing the school early, she believed she could've solved an actual problem rather than any nerve-wracking nitpick from earlier. After realizing that she was in the Everfree Forest to likely research cockatrices, the tension climbed hundredfold and added further uncertainty for Starlight. Early in the open, Starlight explained how becoming a counselor allowed her to use her "checkered past" to get to others' shoes and aid them below the surface. The guilt she felt from seasons ago disappeared. But that guilt returned and only increased as the episode and danger progressed. Even after they all realized SS was safe and sound, that guilt never went away.
    The communication between the rest of her friends also felt very complete with plenty of humor. Some of the best moments were as follows:
    The anime-like blood vessels ready to burst and SG's shock really sell the joke and immediately show how even he gets on her nerves.
    Trixie standing up for Starlight to Terramar and eventually accepting partial blame for her disappearance.
    After Terramar criticized Starlight's party for not being "perfect," everyone, including Maud, glared crossly at him, shutting him up.
    In acts of desperation, Starlight looked in even the most unconventional places, such as inside Pinkie's party cannon and on a crowded bookshelf. Moments like these show both the panic creeping from within and the guilt that she already possesses.
    This little exchange:
    In the final two acts alone, there was plenty of flirting between them in comparison to Maud Couple from last year. Mud's little smile after Maud's reply feels genuine and shows appreciation for each other.
    The lesson has some similarities with Zeppelin, but they’re not the same. In Zeppelin, it’s about how it’s not selfish to have time with yourself. Here, it’s about not getting bogged down with a very stressful job to spend quality time with others. It’s a really good lesson.
    There are two problems.
    When Starlight and the others made it inside the open ruins of the sisters’ castle, they assumed the cockatrices won’t fly in and only surround. One big problem. Cockatrices can fly high, and they got too close to a flock of migrating ones by watching them from a cliff above. What if the provoked cockatrices decide to fly over the walls or through the old windows? They were just as vulnerable inside the ruins as out, yet the episode lowers the stakes a bit here and assumes they’re safe until they walk out. It was really dumb of everyone to gather and breathe there. At the very end, Silverstream admits to Starlight that her advice didn't amount to anything in the long run. First off, the joke wasn't funny. Secondly, it all but made Starlight's stress over "not doing her job" pointless and marginalizes the moral, as SS's visits didn't factor at all into the conclusion of her Spring Break project. Had Trixie not interrupt, Starlight would've completely lost her temper and given her the riot act. That said, it’s really good, and given the fact that Starlight’s takeover of the school may be inevitable, she really needed this episode. Good work, Haber!
  15. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Expanded my original thoughts. Credit also goes to @AlexanderThrond, @Odyssey, and @OptimisticNeighsayer for it.
    With a world as magical and fantastical as Equestria, any form of mystical being is possible. They may sound like fairytales (or "pony's tales," as what Spike once said about the Mare in the Moon). Not too often does the show do the opposite: establish the legend of a mystical jokester no one witnessed and make both ponies and viewers wonder if he doesn't exist. Considering the amount of lore in the series (both in the TV series and comics), it's an undertaking for the show to give this concept any benefit of the doubt. That was partially Applejack's role, as her stubbornness and eye for logic initially play a role in downplaying and explaining other ways for phenomenons to work beyond a "just-because" shortcut.
    Additionally, Applejack's stubbornness usually lasts all the way through the climax. The Mane Attraction is the lone time to use it as a strength rather than a flaw. Just like the lore, Rapp reigns her flaw in. Instead of making her impose her stubbornness on everyone else, she's stuck with a dilemma: promise Granny and Big Mac to help round up every apple in Sweet Apple Acres and not try to hurt Apple Bloom's feelings. More on this later.
    Building up this dilemma in the first half was its biggest weakness, and there are a few reasons why.
    The first half is loaded with exposition. The rest of the Mane 8 were written off early, automatically turning it Apple-focused. But using a one-line shortcut cheapens the direction. Even the lore of the confluence (the time where every apple is ripe simultaneously) doesn't hold much weight, as it's attached to the clunky "moon" length of time and explained very early on. Additionally, the episode repetitiously reminds the viewer how catching the Sass Squatch-like trickster*; once is fine, thank you.

    *The AJ Micro revolved around a "Sass Squatch," a mystical creature that changed apples into squashes, and Applejack was stubborn as Boulder to try to capture him alone for most of the issue. Until the end of the flashback, it was really slow and bland, with surface jokes that aren't all that funny. Usually, they were related to either Goldie's "crazy-cat-lady" shenanigans or Big Mac's exhaustion, and nothing more beyond that. One of the only ones to work that well was Goldie's cats distracting her to steal her pancakes. Although it was a problem for the whole episode, the dialogue in the first half was quite repetitive. I don't need to specifically hear "Great Seedlin'" all the time. Throughout most of her time as a foal and filly, Applejack learned of his legend and the reward for catching it, so he spent good time every confluence to set up traps rather than buck the apple trees. However, she forgot where one of the traps were and was stuck in a deep hole for most of the day. She felt so upset for it that she felt like she let herself and her family down over trying to chase a mystical creature that may not even exist. Therefore, as what @OptimisticNeighsayer wrote, she established a "sour grapes" approach to the fairytale, eschewed the Great Seedling as nothing more than fairytale, and focused primarily on working the farm. It established why she can be so work-driven (nicely pointed by Alexander Thrond, his post linked further down), shown in past episodes like Applebuck Season and AJ's "Day" Off.

    So why is this, by far, the worst moment of the first half? Because of this: Goldie and Granny don't treat her mistake as a big deal, even though it is to her, evident by her tone and glum expressions. Combine that with Goldie's smugness, Granny's decision to explain right there why AJ became cynical in the first place, and their disagreement from earlier, it unfortunately implicates that Granny told AB the story as a "gotcha!" to put AJ in her place. AB tries to soften the blow by staying by her older sister and refusing to join her grandma and relative (and Goldie shaking her hoof after they accidentally ran too close was a little bit of accidental karma), but neither of them were held accountable for not taking AJ's hurt seriously, making the overall tone of the moment and flashback really mean-spirited. To borrow from @Odyssey, if it wasn't shown in AJ's point of view or have her bitterness dominate the mood, then perhaps the scene would feel more whimsical, and the tone's direction wouldn't be so convoluted.
    Thankfully, the rest of the episode picks up from there, focusing on Apple Bloom and AJ's bond. Whereas Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had bonding episodes with their older sisters (both biological and surrogate) previously, AB never had that, as episodes where she shares a focus are more on herself (and for Brotherhoves Social, her relationship with Big Mac). The one time where there was some kind of bonding episode between her and AJ was Somepony to Watch Over Me, and that's an AJ-focused episode and AJ's worst appearance of the first five seasons.
    Recall AJ's dilemma that I mentioned earlier, and I'm going to expand from @AlexanderThrond post with my own thoughts. Yes, she wants to help everyone else, but catchin' him mattered to AB. That's why she was gentle when talking to her about it and tried to add uncertainty to the legend. More importantly, AJ didn't want her own trauma to similarly affect her. In short, to softly ask that question of the Great Seedlin' being real or not was a warning without trying to intrude. But she was also willing to help her and make her happy however possible, which is why they agreed to compromise on Day 2: If they work together to harvest the trees, they'll set up the traps later. Rather than make AJ so stubborn to the point of blindness like her Micro, the episode eases her stubbornness and allows her to be open-minded to his existence being possible. This moment and AJ's flashback tie a little bow on the first half and commence the second half's direction, giving them the bonding episode they sorely needed. Two moments, though, really stand out.
    Their montage was really heartwarming. Rather than let Granny and Goldie get the best of her, she helped AB prepare the traps, using both her own memories back in the day to place them in the best spots and ability to build to build them faster and effectively. Skeptical at first, she progressively showed to having a lot of fun setting them all up. Pay attention to the change of facial expression from this to this to this. When she said she had fun, she meant it; the facial expressions and length of time they put in to building those traps back her up. You can tell she was starting to evolve from an ol' prune to a shiny plum. This was the first confluence since she was a filly, and by helping AB, she reminded herself of the good fun she had then. Yes, she still has responsibilities, but quality time with her young sis healed painful wounds and let her loosen up in life. While Big Mac struggles to clean the orchard on time, AJ and AB are having fun off-screen, and after discovering an empty orchard, they'll accept any help possible to solve it, including listening to one of Goldie's Great Seedling tales. After some advice on how to improve their chances of catching him, they have one of their best heart-to-heart moments of the series. Now, even though they don't know Big Mac unintentionally disguised himself as the mythical deer, the episode makes his identity way too obvious. From the opening shot, the camera spies on him being exhausted at the table and accidentally falling asleep on the breakfast table. Over the next eighteen minutes or so, his expression and behavior deteriorate, such as sleeping on the floor, not observing his surroundings, sagging and drying eyes, not cleaning up the apples right away to knock the apples down easier, sleepwalking, and so on.
    However, despite the mystery behind the Seedling, that wasn't the point. Its focus was on Applejack eventually letting her hair down to reminisce and enjoy being a kid with a sister who was too young to participate last time. The hunt was merely the plot device to bring them together.
    So is it the worst episode of the season so far? Yes. But compared to the previous first halves, is this way better than Boast Busters, AJ's "Day" Off, Fake It, and The Cutie Pox? One hundred percent. Overcoming first-half hiccups, Going to Seed's the AJ Micro done better and a fine overall addition to the series.
  16. Dark Qiviut
    Harry Potter has several tear-jerking moments both in the films and books. One of them that stands out to me is the moment Harry says goodbye to Ron and Hermione.
    What really makes it stand out is the sorrow throughout. Harry just found out that he's a horcrux, and the only way Voldemort could die is he kills him, destroying the horcrux with it. The ragged breathing indicates he's still coping with not only the fact that he has to die, but leave his closest friends behind. Hermione and Ron suspected it too, Harry guessed, but Hermione's reaction's just devastating.
    After everything they all went through, Hermione wanted to be beside Harry, both for support and to keep him alive. Additionally, she (and Ron, who cried silently) realized that their friendship was about to end. Before they become adults, it's over. It's "goodbye." And it hurts horribly. After watching so many friends and relatives die in the Battle, this hurt the most. Combine that with the bleak gray set design, it's one of the best moments of the entire series.
  17. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Credits to We Are Borg, MarikAzemus, and @Truffles for this review.
    After Sweet and Smoky, I won't be surprised if Season 8 was planned as equally as the 9th. The way she teased her off-screen bro after his horrid molt shows her edge, yet still cares for him. Combine this with Spike's feud with Garble still hanging in the air, what perfect time to address it than an episode about dragon-breeding.
    This episode mingles three plots: figure out how to hatch the eggs, get Garble to show his more sensitive side, and end his feud with Spike. While Sweet & Smoky started by using the first two, it expanded once Spike discovered who Smolder's brother is. Sure, no in-show word said he's her older brother, but given the context of past episodes and how Smolder's younger, higher pitched, and originally a little less mature than him, yeah, she's younger.
    Throughout, Smolder's more "feminine" side becomes more and more open. While at the School of Friendship, she's more introverted in her likening for tea parties, but while around Garble, she's more self-secure in openly having tea parties with Garble and Spike, expressing her feelings, showing emotion beyond archetypal "masculinity," and not being afraid to go against the grain of dragon culture she grew up learning from. Even more, her friendship with Spike grew closer to more of a surrogate sister, as she's more open around Spike, defends his passions, and stands up for him. Unlike Spike from Dragon Quest, Smolder rejects the long-time "culture" of bullying others to show "toughness," because she learned ways to be strong beyond the shallow "being-with-older-groupies" type, but not her identity. Thanks to Ember and Twilight, she learned how there's more than one right way to be a dragon, and as Garble tries to hide his insecurities, she tries to open them up so he and Spike bond.
    Speaking of Spike, he's the main lead, and he shows off his growth as a character in subtle ways.
    Even though he and Garble have a rough history, he trusted Smolder's words. Early on, she referred to his bro as being like a squishy marshmallow on the inside. Taking her words into account, he works with her to get him to reveal his more sensitive side with a promise of not making fun of him. His trust with Smolder goes back to Molt Down (their first real onscreen conversation), Rockhoof (their fire-breathing competition), and Father Knows Beast (working with her to out Sludge). Despite being the subject of constant abuse by Garble, Spike sucks it up. Why? Firstly, to promise himself to being a dragon without going out of character. Secondly, because that's what Smolder wants. If he (understandably) decides to cook Garble's snout, who can blame him? One can take so much punishment before going over their limit. He openly embraces "Spikey-Wikey." Back in Dragon Quest's beginning, he rejected Rarity's nickname, thinking it made him look too cute in front of ponies. (And from my perspective, her nickname for him then was sooooo patronizing. ) From that point forward, whenever Rarity calls him that, it's endearing. Calling himself that to Garble calls back to that background evolution of acceptance for it. This episode had plenty of Spike abuse, specifically Act 2 when he and Smolder try to get Garble to crawl out of his shell. However, I don't have much of an issue with this for a key reason. His mistreatment of Spike, both past and present, was integral to the conflict. How did he react once finding out she and GarGar were siblings? Not so well. Notice Smolder's raise of the eyebrow in the first link, implying suspicions towards her brother. Soon after, she warned Garble after he tried to be a passive-aggressive douchebag in front of her. From the get-go, she establishes she won't tolerate anyone bullying her good friend. Thanks to chickening Clump (one of the three stereotypical bullies) out after accusing her of being "soft," Beyer-Johnson shows she means business.
    But that doesn't mean Garble can't give him the short end of the stick by accident or abuse him behind her back. Unlike examples from other episodes, the Spikeabuse isn't a joke (something @Truffles points out in his review; link to it near the bottom). We as an audience are supposed to sympathize for him and root for him to overcome it all and prove to be better than him. But no matter how much he tried, Garble’s mistreatment of him understandably discouraged him.
    Additionally, his disappointment led him to accidentally discovering that the ground underneath the nests was too cold, immediately leading S&S into a darker turn. The eggs shook not from fright, but from dragons freezing inside. Thanks to his discovery, Ember unleashes Clump, Fume, and "Billy" some deserved karma.
    Back to the A-plot, with Spike being bullied, Fluttershy (representing the motherly support, while Smolder's the "sister") delivered two of the episode's most rewarding moments.
    After showing control over Spike since returning to the Dragon Lands, it was only a matter of time before someone called them out for their bad behavior. Fluttershy's anger was raw and real; when she ordered them to quit throwing lava at him, she meant it.
      Like a good mother, she keeps him accountable. At no point does she scold him and then pretend it's all okay. When she found out he played bongo drums and wrote poetry with Smolder, she embraced his hobby, but was quick to point out his hypocrisy in multiple ways: scapegoating her for being "sneaky" when he was the one doing the sneaking and using his status as a bully to hypocritically pick on Spike. After Garble's flimsy excuse, she gave him this:
    Her riot act to him was some well-needed tough love. He treated Spike like crap for not being a "real dragon" in order to hide his insecurities, and Fluttershy gave him some pointers of what makes him a "real dragon," narrowed to this: not being afraid to be himself and being with those who'll really appreciate his creativity.
    Granted, S&S's reveal could've been handled better. Nowhere the episode foreshadows his love for poetry. Now, the atmosphere early in Act 1 (thanks, We Are Borg, for catching this) foreshadows the upcoming stakes and differences between pony and dragon cultures, and Smolder refers to him as a lovable guy who likes to be with those who appreciate talents like Spike's, but what would do better is a hint or two that isn't so vague so his reveal of being a beatnik poet can be connected more with the rest of the plot, such as being with someone who can exchange points in creativity. Additionally, the episode told a lot about Garble's sadness, which he hid through a bad temper and embarrassment. Showing sadness, scaling back a little bit of the abuse (i.e., second-guessing before doing it anyway), and collecting lava to cool it down and turn it into the cylinder would help round it more.
    Conversely, the episode does a really good job showing us what he does to make us understand him without telling us to forgive him, which MarikAzemus points out. If you want to forgive him, that's up to you. Yes, Garble being sensitive is a cliché in storytelling, but it's one for ringing true. However, while One Bad Apple explains Babs's history of being bullied to make us forgive her for bullying others, Fluttershy and Smolder call him out every time he gets caught. Neither the story nor them downplay the bad things Garble did, emphasized earlier by how Spike would rather help hatch the eggs than be around him. The fact that Garble himself fears being picked on is not an excuse for picking on Spike in return.
    The fact that he defied Smolder's warning from earlier more than justified her to angrily call him out for picking on him. Small for her, sure, but important on the whole. Why? Because she keeps her promise to both him and Spike and shows she's taking both her professors' classes to heart and Spike's wellbeing seriously.
    However, rather than get defensive, everyone had to go to the nesting grounds, as the eggs were shaking from the baby dragons from inside feeling too cold. They've been inside for days, but they're newborns, and they're dependent on warmth from the underneath lava to keep them warm as they hatch. Ember called upon "every dragon" (or if the episode was more specific, every dragon she could find) to hatch them, but the fire was too cool. There, as Garble's "friends" laugh at him so hard that their fire becomes hotter, Garble notices a break.

    See the fumes? The eggshells were heating up. But how to do it better?
    At that point, Garble takes advantage.
    Earlier, he worried about others making fun of him for his creativity. Here, if he can get them to laugh at him, they can shoot fire onto the eggs. Will they make fun of him for it? Of course, and he knows it! But he soon stopped caring about what they think and agreed to trade embarrassment for the baby dragons' health. After briefly wallowing, he takes her lessons to heart, starting with this. Like Rarity years ago, he calls him "Spikey-Wikey" sincerely. As he beats the drums and recites the poems, Spike supports him all the way, snapping his own claws to stay into the tune. The more he recited and banged the drums, the more confident he became. When he recited his first poem, he exchanged eye contact with Spike, knowing that he'll embrace his creativity and back him when needed. Afterwards, he said nothing for a good few seconds. As he banged his drums, he became one with the music and his writings. The lack of confidence from before dissipated. Ironically, the more they laughed at his poetry, the more confident he became. By laughing at him, they're falling into his trick, which helps the babies hatch. Pay attention to the last three poems: All of them have a double meaning. In addition to telling the eggs to break free from the eggs, he was also telling himself and everyone else he wasn't hiding his talents anymore. He was proud to write poems, be a poet, and show it off. If they mock him, so what? That's their problem, not his. His self-confidence rose exponentially, and he singlehandedly saved a generation of dragons from freezing to death.
    The fact that Dragon Lord Ember defended him instantly after they hatched proves to everyone that their talents matter and should be celebrated. She loves the Dragon Lands and her culture, but she has a history of being looked down for being smaller in stature (and thus "weaker" than other candidates three seasons ago), so them mocking him was personal. If they continued to bully others for not being "real" dragons, then those eggs don't hatch. Thanks to Garble and Ember's and Smolder's fervent defenses of him, the dragons learn an important lesson of how they can improve relations with each other.
    If there's one thing here to comment, though, the fact that Garble's three friends had a change of heart seconds after Ember announced a massive change in its culture makes their change of heart feel less like an organic want to learn and more of "follow the leader." That said, the others agreed after realizing what he accomplished, implicating they're sincere.
    And @Truffles points out a really interesting, subtle secondary message. By unknowingly "hogging" the lava from the lake, they accidentally changed the landscape and put the lives of baby dragons (that she promised to take care of) in serious jeopardy. They count on her to protect their children at all costs; Ember's rightfully upset at them and treated the situation with the urgency it deserves. They were lucky to prevent the problem from getting worse, but if they're not careful next time, they might not be.
    This episode has rough edges. There were areas that could've definitely been improved on, one of them making Billy, Fume, and Clump less half-dimensional. Yes, seeing them angrily called out was satisfying, but it's like eating a Mickie D's burger with fries: It's filling for now, but it won't fill you for long. The dialogue's serviceable. And Garble's reformation could've been more natural. However, compared to Complete Crap Clause, this was much better in comparison. Characters remained in character. Beyer-Johnson expands dragon lore more. Garble's bullying and excuses weren't tolerated. And by taking his lessons to heart, he saves hundreds of vulnerable baby dragons and evolves one crucial component of dragon culture. Spike's the lead, but he, Fluttershy, and Smolder share great moments, and Garble reforms, ending their series-long rivalry. Sweet and Smoky overcomes its flaws and is executed effectively, resulting in a good episode.
  18. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Credits to The Dragon Warlock, @Sepul-Coloratura, and @TheAnimationFanatic for this review.
    Villains are often some of the more interesting characters in animation. Often they vary in personality, from grounded to eccentric. But the cartoon medium also gives writers an extra incentive by how amoral they can be and showing no remorse for their actions. Some of Disney's best villains like Jafar, Gaston, Honest John, Mother Gothel, and Scar are super expressive. When there's a song, they're almost always the best of the film. *points at Hellfire, Be Prepared, My Lullaby, and Poor Unfortunate Souls*
    Observe FIM's villains. Initially among the weaker characters, DHX began introducing better ones in Season 5. Starlight Glimmer was the most realistic of the series, adopting a warped philosophy of friendship and brainwashing any subject who dared to question her authority. Stygian's tragic backstory and relationship with the cunning Pony of Shadows added multiple layers in a really complex season finale. FIM's villain crown belongs to Cozy, whose manipulation of everyone cleverly hid her ability to doubt friendships, cause friction, and sway ponies.
    What do Cozy, Tirek, and Chrysalis have in common? They're all fallen. Cozy's manipulation abilities are greatly weakened, thanks to Grogar's lack of trust for everyone there (and Tirek and Chryssie outing her for lying about being in command). Although much healthier now, Tirek has to rely on his sanity and weightlifting instead of magic for strength and interest. Queen Chrysalis lost her hive, leadership, and pride; look no further than this outstanding callback from The Mean 6:

    Chrysalis feels so powerless and out of her league that she talks to what remains of Snarkle to keep her composure. Oh, how the mighty fell, indeed.
    (BTW, The Dragon Warlock suggested calling this trio the Fallen Three, and that's such a great name that until at least the finale, I'll call them that.)
    Now, put them all together in one room, and what do you get? Extreme variances of eccentric personalities. From the opening shot, we as a people saw firsthand they had trouble cooperating. Cozy got Tirek in trouble for something so petty, Tirek accused her of lying, Chryssie was bored as shit. Back to this in a bit.
    Grogar, the calming force of the four, is opposite all of them on the Character Wheel, mustering all he could to maintain patience and hoping his accomplices can work together with him to beat Twilight and friends. Thanks to his necklace and horns, he can intimidate them with merely a flicker of magic to keep them in line, but he understands beating them all requires teamwork and that bell he so yearns to repossess. Does he trust them? Not one bit. But he must rely on them and hope somehow their egos won't ruin everything. That's why he came up with a clever test: to test their wills and patience with each other. If they can at least try to work together, then perhaps they can scale Mount Everhoof, pierce through Gusty's powerful force field, and retrieve his Bewitching Bell.
    With his test brings forth his bell's history and backstory. Beyond just his tale of what happened to it, the graphics are magnificent. Its rough edges in the first shot, parchment-colored pattern in the background, lower framerate, and flat (yet sharp) contrasts of shadow and light (with a strong exception), there's an ancient, sometimes stone-like quality in the graphics. Showing us his story, his defeat by Gusty, the Bell's near-invincibility, and Gusty's incredible wizardry authenticates his tale, which increases the show's already-rich lore even more. Transitioning styles,  spending a good amount of time explaining the Bell's lore demonstrates perfectly how important that object means to him. If he ever gets it back, they're literally one step closer from re-conquering Equestria.
    Returning to the Fallen Three, like I wrote before, their first appearances showed friction between them. Their appearances following the intro further expand their dynamic. Sweet, sour, and manipulative, she easily gets under Tirek's skin through her ego, high opinion of herself, and baby talking him. Patting him on his forehead like a little kitty cat and bribing her with cupcakes baits them into joining her meeting. In one minute, she pushes all the right buttons to folks more powerful than her without crossing lines. Even as they push back her lies, she immediately casts doubts and takes themselves under her miniature wings, leading to the season's best song to date.
    A Better Way to Be Bad is polar opposite of Our Town. While the latter was more grounded and inspired by WWII propaganda, this is over the top and primarily comedic. With the meeting a (doubly gross! ) disaster, Cozy immediately regroups with a better plan to get everyone together (with her in charge), and the strings are a great way to introduce her intellect and sass into the song while keeping Chryssie and Tirek in check. Of course, when Tirek starts singing, the tempo increases and the comedy focuses on both him and QC trying to own each other with hilarious insults, him by claiming he's strong enough to overthrow Equestrian royalty, and her by laughing at him for getting his ass whooped.
    They all have one thing in common: weaken and beat the Mane 8! But they have to get by their egos first, and this song really shows how not only how large their egos are, but also how they can use them to mock others. Tirek was so tired of Cozy's repetition that he agreed to work with her, but later competed with her and co-mocked Cozy by overtaking her song. In three minutes, her plan fails, and we're all back to square one. That said, the lyrics are phenomenal with excellent comedic timing and great music in the background to accentuate the tone. Favorite moment here's this:
    And all of Cozy's faces here are really hysterical, especially when Tirek shakes her in anger!
    The slapstick's also fantastic. Thanks to its light tone, they take some really nasty bumps, yet bruising only their tempers instead of their bodies. Neither Tirek nor Chrysalis stand each other, proving it by Tirek intentionally not catching her (forcing her to hit the ground hard) and QC shoving Tirek down a flight of stairs, both times with the opposite blindfolded. XD
    Watch it and observe all the energy. You'll notice how much fun Vogel, Ingram, and Nashville Scoring Orchestra had in making this piece, and the same can be said with Sunni Westbrook (Cozy's VA), Kathleen Barr (QC's), and Mark Acheson (Tirek's) when singin' it.
    But this song also foreshadows what they'll do at the trial. As they can't cooperate, they'd rather scale Mount Everhoof by themselves. Immediately, Vogel exposes critical weaknesses of each character and their poor planning.
    Cozy attempts to butter up Rusty Bucket, who guards Mount Everhoof so no one hurts themselves climbing up. But as soon as he objects, she (hilariously) loses her temper and tries to (unsuccessfully) sneak around his house, concluding with getting caught in a massive snowball that catapults her back to camp.

    On an unrelated note, Rusty refers to his copy of Twi's Friendship Journal *twitches eye* and uses a lesson written in it to emphasize why he won't let her do something so dangerous. That lesson — not to force someone to do something against their morale — is a nice, little callback to Bats's. Originally, Queen Chrysalis would order her hive to do her bidding. Now she must scale it alone. But try as she might, the strong gusts almost injured her. Quickly Tirek comprehended how Gusty's magic's too strong for him. So as they climb to the summit, he sits back, keeps the campfire roaring like a steam engine, and waits for them to fail. XD Why is this important? Because he's no team player, calling back to how he double-crossed Discord midway into Twilight's Kingdom, Part 2. Another great strength of this episode, and has been for several dating back to Shadow Play, is the tight dialogue. Not only was Grogar on point in his commanding presence in his voice, but everyone else. The best example of this dialogue takes place at the campfire, both before and after Chryssie knocked out that lamia (and no, I don't care if he's technically an Ophiotaurus! He's a lamia to me!).
    Cozy and Tirek's escalating argument is extremely plausible. Not only do the words and scripted actions feel bitter. Listen to them argue, too. Venom drips in every line. Cozy's at her wit's end, thanks to Tirek outwitting her and letting her be miserable as shit trying to climb Mount Everhoof. The more she devolves into a temper tantrum, the prouder he becomes, knowing he got under her skin and she can't do anything to stop him. (That little anime-like vein throbbing between her eyebrows subtly adds into her immense anger. ) On the other hand, she easily pushes a very sensitive button by talking ill of his grandma, who he still loves, as he dreams. Thank God these people are villains: Had she not be evil, her insult towards his family would be considered a low point of the show. *cough* FS bashing Rarity's and Pinkie's lives *cough*
    Now, recall Better Way to Be Bad. Great song, ain't it? It also foreshadows what comes following their brief argument, which is a shared desire. Sharing stories, they show some of the best chemistry between characters in the entire series. Their hatred for the Mane Eight, Discord, and anything else good is extremely plausible; not one line feels poorly constructed or out of place. By sharing their hatred, they let their guard down just a bit to have some downtime during their quest for conquest and misery. Chrysalis's mocking of Twilight is one of the funniest moments of the season for this reason, and those whimpered lips sell the joke perfectly.
    But as a massive and proud Fake and Misfuckton hater, my loudest laughs occurred when Chryssie buried Rusty's house with snow. Hopefully, that avalanche destroys the copy of that "Friendship" Journal.
    *AHEM!* OK, back to the review! With the Fallen Three finally a team, they help each other climb Everhoof, showing the natural progression of their alliance that began in the first act. With each step, they accurately prove Grogar's point: By working as a team and setting their egos aside, they can conquer seemingly impossible obstacles. Gusty's wind magic was supposed to be so strong that no one could come close to his Bewitching Bell! By learning from their mistakes, they figure out how to not only use the magic to their advantage, but exploit its weaknesses.

    Earlier, Chrysalis failed to fly to the other side by becoming a Roc, who was too big and too heavy. Cozy's smaller and lighter, thus can penetrate through the gust much easier. By connecting the vine from both sides of the cliff, they can climb across instead of fly or glide and successfully defend themselves from Gusty's magic.
    From the climax onward's one of the greatest sequences of the series.
    Gusty's force field's stronger than her gust magic. So strong that Tirek's hand nearly singed. But now more powerful than when he first met Grogar, he remains one step away from possibly penetrating it. Cozy's suggestion — borrowing QC's magic to open it — marks the perfect conclusion to Grogar's test and why he instructed them to go up there. For all we know, he could go up there himself. After all, he just rediscovered it and has already recovered enough to be stronger than the Fallen Three combined. But by placing the responsibilities on them, he forces them to have faith in each other when it's still so thin. And with her quit intellect, Cozy's not only the perfect vessel for this idea, but also making Tirek keep his promise.
      Tirek's humongous form is a magnificent detail in one key way. By getting that lamia to become lustful with her, she was able to eat all that love. Recall this line. That was no accident. By eating all of his love magic, she regenerates and becomes stronger. By absorbing her magic, he borrows the same strength she obtained from last night. So it makes sense for him to level up so easily.
    By being small, she can fly through a small opening and steal back Grogar's bell with limited time. Will Anderson's score adds to the stakes the scene places. Chrysalis trusts Tirek in breaking through the force field. Tirek trusts Cozy in stealing the bell. Cozy trusts Tirek in keeping it open long enough for her to escape before Gusty's magic heals the force field.
    Even after all that, Chryssie's strong enough for one more burn. XD
    After everything they went through, Tirek keeps his promise and returns her magic. While I currently disagree with @Sepul-Coloratura in calling it the most powerful moment of the show in the last few years (though that may change someday, so we'll see), he's right about how powerful AND important it is. No matter how evil villains can be, they're still characters with emotion and conflict. All episode long, the Fallen Three fought with each other, then progressively became a team, and showed genuine trust with one another. Even with their evil goals, they face similar challenges like the protagonists.

    Teamwork was their main goal, and they not only achieved it, but also felt happy doing it. I don't care if they're villains; one can't help but root for them. For the first time all series, they showed genuine pride for doing something good instead of bad and were *places two finger millimeters away from each other* this close to believing the true Magic of Friendship…only to hilariously relapse at the end and turn it into, perhaps, the first moral-less episode of the series.

    Nevertheless, thanks to this unpredictable yet powerful moment, we must ask ourselves this question. Since the Fallen Three briefly believed the power of friendship exists, can it help them become possibly redeemable? Since Beginning of the End, they were very uneasy around Grogar. Cozy, Chrysalis, and Tirek are the top baddies of the whole series, yet sharing that humanity within difficult times makes it all the more possible for them to eventually believe the Magic of Friendship and prove they deserve a second chance.

    To put this into a theory, what if Chrysalis starts to feel love as an actual emotion to obtain and share instead of steal? What if Tirek uses his brute strength and intelligence to overpower Grogar and be a matching force with Discord? What if Cozy uses her natural leadership abilities to lead everycreature out of danger or help solve a puzzle to defeat Grogar? Prior to this season, reformation made no sense. This episode changed all that instantly.
    That said, there's a question mark. Grogar apparently bought into the Fallen Three's lie of failing their mission. Yea, he's happy they bonded, but unhappy that he can't get his bell back. However, he seems to be unaware that it's nearby. I mean, sure, he only rediscovered it, as written before, so the orb isn't as all-knowing as it seems. And Grogar not only told them he didn't trust them to begin the episode, but showed it, too. Had his patience not remain so strong, he'd destroy them instantaneously. On the other hand, DHX established Grogar as calculating, smart, and wise enough to not fall for anyone's tricks; it's possible he knows they plan to betray him, but will wait until the time is right. When will that be? I don't know. How will he carry out his outing of them, if possible? Ditto. We'll see.
    Regardless of the circumstances, Frenemies is a major risk-taker. As the first all-villain episode of the show, it's also one of Pony's best. Fantastic humor, a lot of snappy dialogue. For the first time since Re-Mark, villains received character development; this episode developed them far beyond my imagination, incorporating a clever conflict and masterfully resolving it while maintaining their statuses. It's easy to see why the masses within the fandom adore it, and I do, too. Echoing @TheAnimationFanatic, that feeling when a villain episode teaches the qualities of teamwork objectively better than one with long-established protagonists like Complete Crap Clause… Altogether, this is one of Vogel's finest episodes and a masterclass of villainy craft. Bravo!
  19. Dark Qiviut
    Sometimes you just not look forward to an episode. Whether it’s the synopsis, unimpressive preview, or whatever, something didn’t click. Personally, I looked forward to it, although I understand why some didn’t. It had the makings to being the worst episode of the season at this point. Fortunately, it’s not. In fact, it’s a sneaky great one.
    For one, there’s a whole lot of really good comedy. Like every other episode this season, there’s a huge array of facial expressions, and they sell the jokes really well. My favorites are:
    Rarity looking very cross after Yona burped munched Brussel sprout on her muzzle. Gallus and Smolder teasing each other, the latter including a wink. Rarity’s smiles, such as asking Yona what she wanted at the Boutique and pronouncing sophisticatedly. Silverstream’s sass as she gobbled potato chips first and a really nervous grin the next. Yona romantically blinking at Sandbar, triggering giggles from her friends. And there’s also all of Yona’s antics as she tried to “fit right in.” When she tried the first time, she caused either a little commotion or chaos, ala damaging Rainbow’s classroom by accident. Then after she succeeded, she pretended to be Rarity in hilarious fashion, all the way down to her accent, dress choice, and mannerisms.
    Observe the title. It references the 90’s cult hit, She’s All That, which in turn was inspired by Oscar-winning musical My Fair Lady. I'm not familiar with the former (never watched it), but I am with the latter, and you can find similar tropes used for My Fair Lady in at least three other Disney films: Aladdin, Pocahontas 2 (the one best compared to All Yak), and Mulan. As such, there’s no denying how cliché this type of story is, and this episode’s formula (despite a wide variety of emotion carrying it, and I put not much focus on total clichés nowadays) may be a little too on the nose with it and could do more by straying away.
    But there’s no denying the emotion that drives this episode. Yona, being the least ladylike of the Young 6, is justified to be uncertain of Twilight's Amity Ball.

    The Amity Ball trophy's taken from Ponyville's annual Fetlock Fête, a dancing competition with an award going to the winner, and the poster features two ponies, no other creature. Additionally, pay attention to the language:
    To be fair to the teachers, it's not wrong for them to teach non-ponies Ponyville traditions. Twilight also changed the name so non-ponies can feel more invited. But there are problems. Today, Ponyville remains a homogeneous society, and the School's next door to Twilight's castle. She's supposed to teach a more inclusive Magic of Friendship, yet so far hasn't taught traditions from other cultures. Despite their efforts, it shouldn't surprise anyone why the unfortunate implication pressured Yona to assume she'd have to be a pony to qualify for the Pony Pal trophy.
    The event also showed how those same implications impacted the rest of the Young Six. Observe their faces. Ocellus's is blank. Smolder rolled her eyes. Gallus looked cross, implying he felt tokenized by ponykind. While everypony and Spike danced, they sat out and played cards.
    Outside of expression, Gallus expressed his concern, too.
    Prior, when ponies went to a faraway land to teach the Magic of Friendship, they risk very imperialistic implications, suggesting that those creatures are inferior. Two episodes that fell into this trap were Dragon Quest (stereotyping dragondom thanks to misogynistic teens) and Lost Treasure (treating friendship as the go-to method to fix a desolate, corrupt country). Thankfully, they've been more cautious lately, but this type of episode opened itself up to it.
    So how did they bypass those implications?
    Instead of coming to her and telling her she had to change, Yona came to them. She understandably assumed that she had to change into a completely different character. Therefore, by seeing all those dresses, she also assumed that she had to dress like a pony in order to "fit right in" with the rest. That little, innocent accident produced further doubt and fear into Best Yak's childlike psyche.

    But at no point does the episode look down on her or see her as stupid. Throughout, it listened to those fears and let airing her doubts whenever without interruption. When she tried to persuade Rarity to design the right dress for her, Rarity reluctantly agreed. When she struggled, everyone — and by extension, the episode — encouraged her to improve.

    On the other end, when her friends saw how she was speaking and behaving, their first impressions were worry. They wondered what was going on with her, and all giggling aside, they were concerned the entire time. Sandbar, who asked her out, was also getting increasingly worried after she nearly spilled punch all over her dress.
      Rarity's reluctance plays another key. Why does Yona's visit take her aback? Because she doesn't expect anyone to dress. Yes, the Fetlock Fête's a more formal tradition, but the Amity Ball isn't, and Twilight didn't announce dresses as a requirement. Thanks to peer pressure, Yona thought she had to. Rather than say no, Rarity agreed to her demand. After all, she's her client, and objecting may only worsen things.

    One little line subtly adds to this doubt: Rarity suggested she stand out for Sandbar. Yona corrected her. Instead of thrusting her beliefs onto her, she listened and, despite being opposite her morale, obliged.
    Everyone else actively wanted to help her improve. At first, Yona struggled mightily. The Pony Catillion chart really confused her, 'cause all of the colors and hooves overlapped each other, and Yona (hilariously) smashed up Dash's classroom when trying to learn the Pony Prance. Meanwhile, Pinkie's quick organization of the ingredients comes second nature to her, but Yona was overwhelmed. Seeing how she needed help, they started from scratch, modified their instructions, and slowly worked upward as Yona improved.

    Another big improvement here in comparison to other episodes is how they remained in character the whole time. Nopony looked down upon her the entire time. Instead of forcing her to agree, Yona came to them for help, and they worked the best they could to her demand. Did they get flustered, insult her, or treat her or her culture as inferior? Nope. They genuinely believed they were helping her accomplish what she wanted. Come the end of the montage, everything was according to plan.
    Unfortunately, they had no idea that, despite the best of intentions, they unknowingly perpetuated the same imperialistic "out-of-pony" stereotypes. What they intended was to help Yona impress Sandbar, have fun, and win Best Pony Pal. But their coaching accidentally suppressed Yona, who was beginning to treat her own identity as a yak as a weakness and took their lessons as means to become more self-conscious.

    This line further implicates this:
    Pay attention to the last two words. "Well spoken" is a microaggression. It may "sound" nice on the surface (and sometimes not intended to be offensive at all), but when a Caucasian calls an African-American "well-spoken," they say he's better not talking like "other" blacks, a.k.a., anyone who speaks Ebonics. Regardless of intent, it's racist and not a compliment whatsoever. In FS's POV, she's complimenting her, and Yona accepts it without a second thought. Albeit very on the nose, Fluttershy's supposedly innocuous line further backs up the episode's anti-assimilation theme and, along with the rest of the coaching, made her really vulnerable to shame and distressed if she messes up.
    And boy, did she mess up. Surprise surprise, Yona became very ashamed and depressed, hiding in the Palace of Solace. Recall what the Tree told them four episodes ago:
    Within the Everfree Forest's castle ruins, this treehouse provides a safe space for anyone who needed it. After the biggest humiliation of her life, Yona needed to air her despair, and this was the best place. Her song to begin Act 3 ranks up there with The Pony I Wanna Be, Moondancer's rant, Sunset losing her memories, and Grand Pear's apology as one of the most heartbreaking moments of the entire series.

    However, what happened during the lowest moment of her entire life resulted in one of Pony's most heartwarming moments. Sandbar's a fine addition to the Young Six, but he's the most mellow, so he doesn't have plenty of oomph. Thankfully, he more than makes up for that by listening to her, treating her as an equal, and showing that he won't trade anything away that made her the way she was. His unconditional support for her and empathy cheered her up and reignited her self-confidence, demonstrating what helped make this show so successful: not only teaching us the Magic of Friendship, but proving it.

    Just to balance the perspectives more, I would've liked to see Sandbar sit inside the Palace just after the intro. That way, we get to see his insecurities a little more. But this is a nitpick, so carry on!
    Let's go back to Fluttershy's "well-spoken" line. Again, it's supposed to mean well, but has unintended consequences, staying true to the episode's critique of assimilation. The RM6 had absolutely no intention of leaving any non-pony out, but someday, someone was going to take these unfortunate implications to heart. Being the most emotional and vulnerable of the Y6, Yona was the perfect vessel. Even though they believed they did the right thing by trying to teach her the Fetlock Fête's traditions, they inadvertently cleansed her psychologically and culturally. They wanted nothing more than to make her happy, but not by taking away what made her so special. Apologizing to her and reassuring they love her for who she is is the right call.

    As for the sporadic critique of Yona and Sandbar winning the Pony Pal trophy, think about this. Once more, as Yona suffered the deepest humiliation of her life, Sandbar offered his ears, patience, and a proverbial shoulder for comfort. His actions embody the School of Friendship's values; they more than deserved that award.

    In addition, cleaning up meant they had plenty of time to rethink the Amity Ball's purpose. Why did they change the award's name and dress one of the pony statues up as a yak? To symbolize how friendship crosses boundaries and cultures. Thanks to their own mistakes, they can improve the Amity Ball to include everyone much better.



    Look at how everyone joined in her Yakyakistan Stomp. They show how much she means to them. For the ponies, this will be a lesson in working with non-ponies to make the School of Friendship and its activities feel more welcoming. Given the show's flaw of ponies sometimes acting as the savior to non-ponies, it's a long-time coming for the show to not only address this problem, but flip it to make the ponies learn this lesson.

    Also, if you believe this episode's moral is "be yourself" and a near-copycat of past episodes, such as Common Ground, you're overlooking the nuances. Common Ground's are to not use bitterness to isolate someone from being part of a family and to not pretend you have to follow a passion to bond with someone. The primary lesson from She's All Yak is not to feel like you have to erase your own identity to belong. They're not the same.
    Pony's on a hot streak. Since Matter of Principals, they haven't released one mediocre or bad episode, and aside from a rare fine one, they're all good to really good. So far, every season 9 episode is really good at least, and this is the fourth great one in a row. I'm unsure how well it'll age over time, but today, all I need to say is that She's All Yak is sneakily great and could (hopefully) land near the top of S9's best episodes  
  20. Dark Qiviut
    NOTE: Copied and pasted my review from here and contains some extra edits.
    Trixie and Starlight's chant and dance were total cringe.
    Looking for me to dish another negative? You ain't gonna find it here.
    (On the) Road to Friendship's story's incredibly simple, its focus driven 100% by Starlight, Trixie, and their incredible chemistry. Just like Spike, Big Mac, and Discord from Break Down, they only became friends two seasons ago, yet thanks to Haber's clever writing, you'd think their friendship goes back to childhood. Until Season 6, Trixie only stood center stage for Boast Busters, Magic Duel, and Rainbow Rocks as a tertiary character. But Haber brought her into becoming a reoccurring character and has become a vehicle for storytelling around Starlight.
    Their magnificent chemistry is thanks to Haber's incredibly tight dialogue, a continuous improvement of the show started by Shadow Play. With everything they say to and about each other, you buy into it, whether it's their praise, banter, jokes, passive-aggressive insults, and full-blown arguing. Their exchanges were snappy and completely believable; each moment and line flowed so well, even when the vocabulary repeats, with no hitch at all.
    Thanks to their chemistry, Haber takes advantage of as many comedic opportunities as possible. Virtually all of them land. Some of my favorites include:
    Starlight teleporting back to the school in a hurry, only to briefly return to say goodbye in between. Starlight throwing a little meta joke about how Twilight and friends would sing a song to commemorate their voyage, only for them both to start a song themselves. Blowing open the inflatable raft causes Starlight to get pinned to the window. During their descent into fighting, Starlight and Trixie share passive-aggressive barbs at each other during the Somnambula magic show. While sleeping in the caravan in Somnambula, Trixie talks and rehearses in her sleep, while Starlight snores noisily, each a callback to previous episodes. Kudos to Haber for using a combined pun of the village's name. The elder pony peaks out of the chest, sees nothing happening, and returns to sleep. Cue credits. But the best comedy comes during We're Friendship-Bound. Aside from being the season's best song up to this point, it's incredibly upbeat with catchy lyrics and just-as-catchy jazzy beat. Like Apples to the Core four seasons ago, its jovial tone reverberates through each scene, which ranged in activity, danger, and atmosphere. I don't recall the last time Pinkie broke the fourth wall, but Trixie and Starlight shattered it everywhere, especially this line(!):

    But like the rest of the season, Haber progressively tests their friendship.
    While Starlight's preoccupied at the school, Hoo'Far asks if he can trade his bigger caravan for hers. She says no, because it's her home. Her smaller, cramped wagon comes into play twice, including as they relaxed the first time. Trixie closes the door, causing SG to accidentally drop a smoke bomb. Starlight wasting bits on street food over essentials. Trixie waiting a long time in line for a particular street vendor over shopping at another empty vendor that orders the same thing. After all the hotels are booked, they get really testy with each other. Despite apologizing with each other… …they get really cramped inside her wagon. Starlight can't move, so she moves the smoke bombs, squashing Trixie. They couldn't sleep in the same room! Trixie wrapped a bandana around her muzzle to stop her snoring. Next morning, thy passive-aggressively take the last of each others' food, the haycake by SG, the juice by Trixie. This passive aggression continued into the failed magic show, one of Road to Friendship's funniest scenes. The water boils that night when they traded sleep- and meal-related insults and accusations, culminating with Starlight ejecting Trixie's supplies and: But the boiling foamed the next morning when Starlight traded away her wagon for his behind her back. You think that her impulsiveness would let her think twice about trading it away. Despite her decent alibi of traveling with a roomier wagon, Starlight has two major problems here:
    Her timing. Neither of them got along and fought the night before. Those feelings pass over here. Starlight traded it while Trixie slept. It doesn't matter if your intentions are good. This is her property, and she decides what to do with it, not SG. It ain't no surprise why Trixie's so upset; her anger's completely justified. Starlight comes off as a major plothole here, why she's primarily written to be in the wrong in Act 3, and becomes the episode's primary apologizer. This is a reversal of No Second Prances, but done way better. In the former, Trixie used Starlight, and she had to make it up to her. Here, Starlight screwed up badly and has to make it up.
    Some are a little disappointed we see nothing of Saddle Arabia beyond just Hoo'Far (who, BTW, had really excellent and witty dialect), but like Chrysalis in The Mean Six, those who do miss the point. This episode's about experiencing the ups and downs of friendship, having their friendship tested, overcoming it, and becoming closer. In the grand scope, Saddle Arabia isn't necessary, and the story in between more than makes up for it.
    All in all, it's an excellent episode — one of the best of not just the season, but the show, too.
     
  21. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Credit goes to @Cwanky for this review.

    For the first time, FIM brings back a celebrity guest: Patton Oswalt. When I first watched Stranger Than Fan Fiction, I panned the character he voiced (Quibble Pants), calling him a stereotype of superfans and for being so dumb to think he's still near the Daring Do convention despite being in a radically different climate. Upon reflection, he's nowhere nearly as bad as I claimed. Holding onto the idiot ball in Act 2 is a big flaw in the episode, but he's no stereotype. Yes, he can be obnoxious, but he cares for the product. (Thank Fame & Misfuckton for helping me change my mind.)
    Common Ground pushes forward new ground (pun unintentional ) for Quibble Pants in my favorite role of him so far. From the get-go, he fails to hide a inferiority complex, screwing up basic buckball knowledge and sports puns. But the second Clear Sky and Wind Sprint arrive, he shows a side from him we never see before: a devotion to his girlfriend and her daughter. For the first time all series, FIM tackles stepparenting, specifically the development of one. Haber marvelously intertwines his façade and desire to make the relationship work, notably to impress Wind Sprint and get her to like and appreciate him. And it's in their introductory scene do we see how important Quibble is to their dynamic, notably when Wind tries to sneak into the buckball stadium.
    Quibble planned the trip, both to the museum and stadium. Regardless of his knowledge, he knows Wind like sports and to play them. The Hall of Fame in Appleoosa is a mark of excellence for Equestria's growing sport and foreshadows both her talent in athletic competition and love for her biological father (back to this point later). He researches his material and tries to apply the resources he has to make her happy, which becomes more evident by buying that humongous buckball almanac for her. Unfortunately, his effort ends up deflating her and further exposes him as a try-too-hard to Wind.
    By pleading for help, Q shows that he's at his wit's end. He wants WS to like him, but no matter how much he tries, she only ends up detesting him more. Self-confidence from STFF was replaced with desperation and a cry for help. In a brief eye-to-eye, Clear Sky reminds him how he doesn't have to try too hard to get her to like him, further alluding the idea that he tried to impress her many times before. Planning this trip was likely his final shot. Luckily, Dash was there, and she's one of Equestria's most athletic ponies, so it can't be all bad…can it?
    Ummmmm…
    All of this leads to the episode's biggest flaw: the pitch scene. Wind Sprint's extremely skilled in buckball, perhaps better than Flutters, Pinkie, and Snails. Unfortunately, Quibble isn't, so there's a huge difference, even though Team Ponyville eased their skills to make things more fair. Seeing him so lost on the pitch means he fails so easily, and that sometimes makes it rather hard to watch. That said, it's a billion times tamer than Spike being forced to sing the Cloudesdale Anthem, which makes him out to be both Spike and SA dumb enough to assume Cloudesdale lost and let him take the mic, respectively. And Quibble actually not only tried to be better, but successfully bucks into his own net (and calls out a vaguely-written rule in the almanac, so he may suck on the field, but understands some of the game's basics from the outside).
    But we can't talk about Quibble without Dash, Wind, and Clear.
    Outside of Complete Crap Clause, Rainbow Dash has been on fire, and CG's no exception. After a poor start three seasons ago, they're now friends, and it shows through their exchanges early. When Q stumbled or screwed up sports phrases, she got confused or corrected him. But when he pleaded for help, she immediately accepted the offer. Why is she outstanding? Because it balances her flaws with her strengths. To describe what I mean:
    She believed everypony has a sporty side in some way. Through Operation: Sportify, she worked tirelessly with him (once with Snips's help). Sadly, not everyone is so athletic. But when she couldn't find it immediately, she planned to have him and family work together as a team so he can work with WS. However, shoving him under the spotlight in front of tens of thousands of passionate fans wasn't the wisest decision, albeit with good intentions.
      Her speed, athleticism, and agility come naturally for her. So when she shows off how well she can turn the corners while flying, she quips: A little conceited? Perhaps. Then again, she's so skilled that what she does is normal, so when others can't, it's a surprise. But the episode cleverly juxtaposes this, displaying an understanding that he can't do all, so she starts small with plans to train him once he improves. All day, what does she do? Help train him. She wants him to improve, even by the lightest amount, and help him unite with Wind.
    But her biggest testament to her character comes after Wind rejects his efforts and runs away from the pitch. As he disappointingly rummages through her present, she tries to regain his confidence by assuring him of other sporty ideas to help his athleticism. After finally letting his frustrations out and (on assumption) getting ready to quit his relationship with Clear, she offers him her best advice so far:
    Short, sweet, and to the point.
    Wind Spirit, the little filly in the episode, adds so much to the episode. When she doesn't say much, she shows her disappointment and disdain for him. Take a look at the first few seconds.
    On first impressions, she looks like a little brat who's spoiled and with very specific tastes. The Hall of Fame museum bores her due to lack of action, preferring the tournament instead. But Clear Sky calls her out for misbehaving, only to eventually have Dash agree with her (cutting herself off after Q glared at her). Once inside the museum, the episode raises the stakes instantaneously, beginning with Q's confusion of sports and ending with this:
    From this point forward, the episode has a very clear goal: get Wind to like him.
    But take a look at Q's first line, which says her biological dad was athletic. Two things come out of it:
    With her father being athletic and really into sports like her, Quibble is left out of the loop. She sees him as a stranger, because he isn't what her dad was like and that he tries too hard to be like her dad that he comes off as phony. Hence her glares and sarcastic "thanks." Her dad isn't there anymore. Usually, when someone's referred to in past tense, they're telling us they passed away or sometimes divorced. From the way he speaks of her, she's not happy that he's the opposite of who her dad was and doesn't appreciate him. Later moments, including her disappointment of him when he got stuck in a buckball basket, learning he bought her a book, and Quibble trying to impress her, add more into the conflict.

    Compared to Pear Butter and Bright Mac, we don't know his fate, and Patton Oswalt said on "Conan" prior that Clear and her husband (likely) divorced. But aside from past tense, two points hint his passing: Wind reminiscing of him while talking to Dash and Clear showing how much she still loves him. But when Q's not nearby, Wind's attitude changes. After Dash meets her, she gets so excited and loves how well she can fly. Throughout the day, she's really happy to just be with Clear and watch the matches from the stands…only to scowl the second he returns from training. Despite exciting her with an offer, she doesn't hide her feelings for him before turning to Pinkie and FS glowingly:
    Recall what this episode is about: He's trying to get her to like him by making her believe there's more to them than what she truly sees. He doesn't understands sport or look sporty, but he can be and will prove it. But the harder he tries to hide his insecurities, the more she'll repel from him. By hiding behind an obvious façade, he's disrespecting her. Consequently, she justifiably insults him for being phony.
    Her limit's finally pushed after Quibble scores an own goal and tries to argue otherwise so they keep playing:
    Thanks to his plan and screwing up so poorly, it's not fun playing on the field with him or Snips. If playing it wasn't fun, then what's the point of going to it in the first place?
    This leads me to the episode's glue, Clear Sky. With Quibble Pants and Wind Sprint eccentric and rather cartoony, a mellow head like her's necessary to balance the cast, and Haber handles her so well. Clear Sky adores Quibble Pants for being kind, smart, selfless, and hard-working. When they show disagreement, she keeps them all in check, such as Clear reminding Wind to appreciate his efforts to bring them all to the HoF. Instead of one-dimensionalizing her role, Common Ground rounds her by reassuring Quibble when he's down and unconditionally supporting Wind.
    Her best moment occurs near the end after Wind and Q's relationship all but fell apart permanently.
    Wind's spirit was at her lowest all episode, her dislike towards him devolving towards bitterness. She wasn't simply disappointed in having him as a stepdad, but embarrassed, too. She's proud to be the daughter of an athletic dad, but he isn't around anymore, and now her new "dad" is an un-sporty pretender. The dialogue underlined my me, though, is the key to not only the exchange, but the evolution of her and Quibble's relationship. To echo @Cwanky, Wind misses her dad, wishes to have him around, and the episode doesn't look her down for it at all. Fear She fears Quibble will not only replace his dad physically, but in memory, too. Those memories of him hold dearly to her, and the prospect of Clear's new relationship with Q forcing her to throw them all away kills her. She doesn't want that.
    Neither does Clear. From her motherly reply, she still loves him just as much as Wind Sprint and would never trade that away at all. After all, her relationship with him led her to mother Wind, who her husband resembles a lot of in her eyes. But that doesn't mean she can't love another stallion, even if he and Wind's dad share nothing in common. She loves him because he loves those around her and wants to make things right for her and her daughter. At no point does she want Wind to assume Q will treat her or her memories of Dad as an afterthought, and she doesn't want Wind to believe her fears are silly. They're not. By treating her fears seriously, the episode treats those who relate to her dilemma the same. Wind's experiences and feelings parallel those in real life, and Clear's words of comfort allow her to heed her own fears, grieve, and potentially welcome a really sweet stallion who deserves another chance.
    This episode also mirrors plenty from what happened to the Oswalts, too. In 2016, Patton's first wife Michelle McNamara died in her sleep, leaving him and her daughter Alice (Wind's voice) behind. One year later, he married Michelle Salenger (Clear's voice), who posted this little tear-jerking recording of herself and Alice for this episode. Reading and watching what happened behind the scenes (including this chain from Big Jim) really helps me appreciate this new classic.
    On the surface, it's a "be yourself" moral, but in reality, it's more than that. Besides not letting your own fears create a barrier from welcoming people to your family, don't pretend to know a passion in order to feel like you're a part of one. Dash was the Mane 8 featured, but she didn't have to learn the lesson. This was Quibble's episode, and his actions worsened the divide and threatened his relationship with Clear. To fix it, he had to own up to it to WS and work together to resolve their tense conflict.
    Bittersweet it is, leaving the ending more open than traditional's the right call. Wind's wounds ran deep, so her bitterness won't disappear immediately. That almanac (a great callback to his love for Daring Do) foreshadowed that slow mending of their relationship. He may not physically play buckball, but became unknowingly knowledgeable of it from reading it and absorbing the analytics. As a result, Wind read it for herself, understood Team Ponyville's patterns, and realizes that by reading together, they can learn from each other and bond off the field. Now, do they have more to go? 100%. But with Clear supporting them, they're on the right track.

    ^ If this ending doesn't warm the cockles of your heart, I don't know what will.
    I can write more about it, but I'll leave it here. Common Ground's a fantastic episode and will go down as one of FIM's best.
  22. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Credit to @CloudMistDragon, @Justin_Case001, Kaperon TSB, and Applegeek for this review.

    Today Sparkle's Seven is Season 9's greatest episode. Everything fell into place and was written so, so well. But writing just this much only really undercuts the mastery of its storytelling and humor.
    Rather than doing simply a breakdown of the episode in a strength/weakness structure or a long essay, I'll break down specific points, ala my Movie review and Zeppelin analysis.
    Setting the Tone.
    Within the first minute, Haber and Dubuc establish the episode's whimsical tone, beginning with this little whammy.
    Spike's so excited to receive Shining Armor's letter that he burst in Twilight's office, accidentally spooked Starlight enough to cause her to drop a stack of papers on the floor, and unroll his scroll with extreme glee. All punctuated by a very happy trumpet score in the background. Ten seconds in, the audience begins to have a quick impression of what its tone, atmosphere, and overall direction could be: casual, fun, and possibly exciting. The crown may be a toy, but Spike's face and Twilight's subsequently surprised reaction reveal how important it is to them: It establishes a friendly sibling rivalry between her and older bro Shining Armor, which the montage shows they had a huge amount of fun to earn it. That toy crown's nostalgic, a will to be impressive during the week, and improve if you miss it. Being a bro himself, Spike's excited to see SA revive it, even if for one more time.
    Before the open ends, Sparkle's Seven alerts us of the stakes: Whoever wins the crown this time officially wins Sibling Supreme. Forever. It effectively delivers on the episode's direction and tone without wasting one precious millisecond.
    Speaking of tone…
    Twilight: "For…ev…errrr…"
    What do Best Night Ever, Lesson Zero, Pinkie Pride, Slice of Life, Saddle Row Review, and Break Down each have in common? They're filled to the brim with comedy and among the best episodes in part of or because of it. Sparkle's Seven ups the ante hundredfold. Everywhere it goes, it's ripe with humor. To go over a few early examples:
    Starlight's last, quizzical line. Celestia's beat after Princess Luna takes a verbal shot at her (along with a small stare at her as SA gloated). This face…

    Suddenly, I'm hungry for pudding… Princess Luna whinnying like a horse. Recall his fans giving that poor robin having trouble flying near the Royal Sisters's castle? Here's the next scene!

    Eeyup! Same robin, dazed from crash-landing, walking near the castle instead! Going a little dark there, eh, story?! Pinkie cutting off Rarity and Dash's film noir scene (a very clever callback to Rarity Investigates!) and breaking the fourth wall during the cartoony space scene. Her small whine sells it quite well. Spike imagining himself as a spy teaming up with Fluttershy to steal his crown.
    From the start, Sparkle's Seven doesn't let up on any comedic opportunities. If they find a spot, they were going for it, be they succeed or fail. Varying the humor — rather than relying on one type — by equally including sound effects, the score, little Easter Eggs caught on repeated rewatches, different camera/animation techniques, and dialogue catches the audience by surprise, a crucial ingredient to good-quality comedy, and increases its replayability. The cartoony medium also helped accentuate their faces, going extreme without becoming uncanny.
    One will be covered in more detail right now.
    The Many Faces of Equestria!
    Despite the boatload of comedic variety, their faces drive most of it. Haber, Dubuc, and the animators successfully take advantage of the animation medium and exaggerate them without becoming gross, uncanny, or out of place. The only question: When's the right time? Thanks to its absurd tone, whenever they surprise us.
    Act 1's full of them, but some of my favorites occur during the second. Here are just a few.

    Earlier, AJ claimed to possess an alter ego named Apple Chord and would use it to distract the Canterlot guards while the others snooped inside. But after telling her story, Dash realized she wasn't telling the truth, leading to this awkward mouth. Does a face like THAT tell you she wants to be Apple Chord? Nope! Onstage, one uncomfy dudette forces herself to live a lie long enough for her friends to get inside. This one is sequential: Twilight and Shining Armor's exchange outside the castle. Suspected she was up to something, he questioned her. How did she respond? By sniffing a nearby flower with a cunning grin. Shining scooted away, peeking as she innocently waved to him. What makes this so interesting? Because it adds to the friendly yet passionate rivalry between them. Silly, yet serious in showing a tight, competitive relationship. Twilight realizing Rarity's scheme fell apart.



    If that doesn't accurately describe her sinking loss of hope… Poor Twilie. Yeah way! Uh huh!
    But my favorite moment, until the end, is the Dash and Rarity scene. Realizing in shock that the café was closed during the afternoon catalyzed their moment to spy on the episode's first truly suspicious event: Luna replacing two Canterlot guards with Zephyr Breeze. At first, one might wonder why she'd hire someone like him to take part, but then you become reminded of SA's words from earlier: ponies guard every door, so it makes sense for ponies to replace them while they're out to lunch.
    That said, it's Zephyr we're talking about here…!
    But we'll talk about that later. The true gift of this scene is how they react to him. Including, well, how shall I say it? Uh…eeyep?
    Oh, eeyup!
    When I first watched Sparkle's Seven, I laughed. The second time around, I nearly fell to the floor from laughing so hard. Sneaky sneaky, DHX! XD
    Ironically, they also made Zephyr, one of the worst characters of the series, actually pleasant to watch. Sure, he's still a diva, but he's much more self-confident now (clever subtlety). His ego's no longer patronizing; only Dash finds him annoying. Why does the way they present him matter here? Ashleigh Ball wanted Rainbow Dash to interact more with Ryan Beil (Zeph's VA). They showed great chemistry in FB, and Dash helped get his life back on track. SS's the first Pony ep we see him in since then, so the question is will his development stay or not? Sparkle's Seven answers that question with nuance.

    Oh, and do I need to post a couple of more faces? 
    I'm the Youngest One(s)
    Like past episodes such as HW Club, Best Night Ever, Lost Mark, and TT123, the third act really elevates it. The first pivotal moment occurs just following the commercial break, when Spike tells Fluttershy he sometimes feels forgotten and uses their rivalry to back up his point. Immediately, two innocent moments from the cold open impact the story: baby Spike drawing gold stars below their chart and his wish to take part in it right after Twi's flashback.
    But there's more than that, as well. For most of the series, Spike's family presence with Twilight's more like an afterthought. In Season 1, Spike's primary occupation was assisting her in her studies. At one point, Twi wanted to wake Spike up from his sleep and request him to retrieve her quill, implicating he's a slave. Thanks to the ending, Princess Spike sent misandric messages in a pro-feminist show. Have we come a long way since then? Yes. But his arc felt incomplete, and episodes like Zeppelin (Iron Will believed Spike wasn't family enough to reward him a ticket!) and Father Knows Beast only created more Q's than A's.
    Long-time continuity backs up his doubts. FS, recalling her strained sibling relationship with Zephyr, understands his feelings. Twilight — so determined to win the Hard-Won Helm — accidentally ignores Spike's "little brothers" line minutes later. Thanks for proving his point, everypony.
    Fortunately, this scene was an extra cog to one of two big reveals in the climax:

    Under everyone's noses, Spike stole the crown, shocking everyone.
    But he wasn't alone.

    AIN'T THAT TWIST SO…GLOOO—RIOUS?!

    So how does this make any sense?
    Recall the first bit of foreshadowing mentioned a few paragraphs ago. Celestia and Luna share very strong differences of opinions of Shining Armor's security. Celly really liked it, but Luna was unsure and, as stated in Act 1, wanted to test it with her, but she chose to summon Twilight instead. Everyone was so caught up that they overlooked its fatal flaw: They're so focused on outside threats they overlook inside ones. Spike quickly realized it, and observing how Luna and Celly couldn't stop nonverbal arguments with each other, he concocted an inside plan with Luna to prove it to everyone. And boy, did they take serious advantage! Knowing his vanity would distract him from doing his job, Luna replaced two experienced guards with Zephyr for the afternoon shift. Spike tore Pinkie's hot-air balloon with his claws, not only further sabotaging Rarity's plan, but also providing enough of a distraction for AJ to steal a Royal Guard medal (which Rarity later used). Luna keeping Celestia and SA out of the Throne Room long enough for Spike and Fluttershy to explore the catacombs, escape, and invade. At one point, they got lost, and Dash pulled down every wall sconce to try to escape, so he mapped out the catacombs and noted all the traps and secret passageways. Spike's wits are essential to his character. Sparkle's Seven explores 'em in a completely new way: strong forethought. He not only rightfully predicted Rarity's plan will fail, but also Twilight's and SA's. All they needed to do was play it out, let SA catch Twi off-guard, and then *snaps fingers* capitalize. He won the Hard-Won Helm of the Sibling Supreme fair and square. Kudos to both SA and Twilight for acknowledging them as their little bro all along.
    But give credit to Luna, too. From a storytelling perspective, her little disagreement with Celestia fueled the spy parody that Tabitha St. Germain suggested. Her tiny shots and glares at her sister foreshadowed the climax and smoothly tied into both Twilight's rivalry and Spike's plight. Celestia's decision to ignore her justified her reasons to behave sourly made sense and gave her a solid alibi to help corrupt their flawed security system. By one-upping her older sister, she won well-earned bragging rights herself.
    The Miscellaneous
    Typically great episodes offer more than simply the story. Little details, smaller jokes, and intentional subtexts increase layers and replay value, giving viewers a reason to rewatch it either now or in the future. Beyond the dazed bird example…
    This whole episode is a parody of spy film, mostly inspired Ocean's 11, a classic film remade twice. According to Applegeek, Kaperon TSB, and @Justin_Case001, there are several references to not only Ocean's 11, but other spy and action films at large. Rarity's "unexpected" speech parodies George Clooney's "The house always wins" speech from the 2001 remake. Credit to Justin Case for finding this. DHX recreated this classic Ocean's 11 poster. After Shining tells his sis of all the security measure, Twilight uses mathematics to figure out how to break through, parodying a moment from the blackjack scene during The Hangover. Credit to Kaperon for discovering that. Luna stroking the goose satires the Bond-villain-strokes-the-cat cliché, and like Applegeek himself, I have a good hunch the goose (with his pink, skin-toned feathers) is supposed to resemble Dr. Evil's sphinx from Austin Powers (another Bond parody). This episode is also one subtle, yet gigantic, parody of itself, a great catch by @CloudMistDragon. FIM doesn't shy away from admitting how predictable their stories are sometimes. Whether your enjoyment of the product is determined by that is up to you. (Nowadays I rarely ding it for this, as the journey factors more.) Shining Armor accurately predicts her whole plan, is prepared for any other unpredictable folly by them, expects them to put their plan into action, and lures them into the Throne Room until the last minute. This self-deprecation is easily the smartest showcase of Shining's experience with security and wits.

    Simultaneously, it winks at those in the fandom who use the "predictability" card through Rarity's and Twilight's plans without being condescending. Was her plan unpredictable, yet in character of everyone? 100%. But Plan B had many major problems, notably inexperience and lack of cooperation. OTOH, Twilight's plan, while predictable, was well thought-out and highly tailored to their talents, cleverly commentating how a well-crafted, predictable story is more valuable than an unpredictable one. Ironically, this allegory subtly foreshadowed the unpredictable plot twist. Nice swerve, DHX.   Very clever use of time is shown through the flashback. Back then, the family's Hard-Won Helm was shiny and new. Today, it's cracked, dented, and busted. Listen very carefully when Spike dons it; there's a small ruffling sound to further indicate its worn-out condition. Methinks SA enjoyed it a little too much, eh? During her heated argument with RD, Rarity stopped briefly to say "hi" to Spike and continued her diatribe, stopping after completely realizing who's there. (BTW, I haven't watched any of the Ocean's 11 films, Hangover series, or Mission: Impossible series. So I had to get the references from elsewhere. Nevertheless, ain't that tantamount to its high quality: not fully getting the references, yet finding it all funny, nonetheless?)

    Conclusion.
    So much describes this new classic. The characters are perfectly in character, including Zephyr (who's actually funny). Every joke lands perfectly, and is sometimes funnier on rewatches, with my favorite being Dash begrudgingly dressing in style. It got serious at times, rounding its story without becoming melodramatic and maintaining its lightheartedness. Several stories are simultaneously intertwined flawlessly, including its satire of spy films, itself, and allegory. On top of it all, its moral on listening to your loved ones and making sure they don't feel left out is executed so well.
    How awesome it really is to see Spike treated with so much dignity once again. Regardless of all of Season 6's well-earned criticism, Spike's writing was top-notch. Thank Haber for partially why. Whenever he's the editor or writer, this small dragon gets the respect he deserves. Thanks to Weseluck, Sparkle's Seven addresses a series-long concern related to his family and provides a solid alibi to craft a devious deed to win the game. If it doesn't prove how far he's come since Princess Spike, I don't know what will. He gets Spike, period.
    But don't leave Dubuc hanging, either. She co-wrote the ingenious Shadow Play with him. Sparkle's Seven continues to show how well they work as a team, and the former's inspirations clue us all. Its top-notch dialogue, successfully multi-layered stories, and brilliant executions from top on down are all found here.
    And finally, thank you to all the voice actors who stayed with this show for so long. You all dedicated so much of your time to building FIM's success, and your voices are iconic to the very same characters. It's so fitting to have the 200th episode dedicated to you, and watching it was a huge honor.
    Thank you, all, for contributing to this all-time great and show that commenced western animation's renaissance.
  23. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Credit to @Zestanor and @Truffles for this review.

    Since School Daze, the Young Six have been some of the best characters. Eccentric and childlike, yet diverse in personality, gender, and race, their friendship is linked by caring for each other. After Cozy thrust doubts subconsciously, the Tree's spirit reminds them of their powerful friendship. Uprooted is their second (unplanned) test: The Tree's detroyed to their massive shock, and they concluded to memorialize it.
    So how well was is written? Not all that bad.
    In only a couple of minutes, the opener effectively establishes what their personalities, goals, and weaknesses are (often intertwining them through jokes, whether they’re brand new or called back from previous episodes, e.g., Smolder’s closeted femininity). Then when Twilight tells them the news of the Tree’s destruction, it’s easy to see why they’re devastated. The Tree not only solidified the harmony between them, but Equestria’s as a whole. Additionally, Dubuc addresses to continuity from What Lies Beneath and School Raze while keeping it self-contained so newcomers mustn’t watch earlier episodes to understand.
    At the same time, it gets clumsy at points.
    Their commemoration for the Tree sometimes gets repetitive, referring to it by name quite often. Altogether, dialogue's serviceable. Sometimes it can get quite preachy, treating the Tree, the Elements, and their messages of friendship as religious relics. Granted, that’s the point. No one can agree on how to honor it without desecrating its legacy, and their solutions range from complacent (the statue) to one-dimensionalizing (the friendship forum) to selling out (Gallus lying about the Tree to make the cave a tourist attraction). But personally, they can make the subtext a little bit more subtle. Gallus’s money-making scheme is cringeworthy. I laughed at Yona’s reaction, but not his embellished plan. Dude, you ain't no Flim and Flam! Sandbar revealing to stashing the Tree's broken parts in a wagon out in the open is the episode's worst moment. The whole dilemma throughout Act 2 is bound by Sandbar's decision to clean up the cave in favor of his little plant, and there's no second exit. For Yona to find it really easily (especially after Gallus asked him where it is beforehand) and nearby one of Silverstream's murals makes the remaining five look incompetent throughout their argument. However, Uprooted has several bright spots.
    The whole montage is fantastically set up and executed.

    Early, the students departed for the School earlier than what their families and tribe leaders permitted. Unlike the others, Thorax balances out severity with worry and understanding the most naturally. The Changeling Kingdom altogether's one big family and successfully adapted to his fight-less vision, and the last thing his kingdom wants to do is get into another war, which almost happened last season. However, he'll agree to a suggestion beneficial for everyone.

    Thorax and Twilight agree to the Y6's plan, leading to one of their best montages (and to echo @Zestanor, "one of the more significant parts"). In addition to establishing a very strong reason why everycreature returned to school so soon, their cultures are presented authentically. Some of it, like Smolder winning an arm wrestling match, is silly (and Gallus's was dark humor), but none are shown to shoot them or their homelands down. They all back up their personalities, subtly expand their lore, and affirms their care for each other and their homes. My favorite's Yona: If you didn't awe from clearing the snow for her dad and this, then y'have no soul. Speaking of Yona, she's fantastic, as usual. This time in a voice-of-reason role. When everyone's superficial tributes didn't capture the Tree's heart, Yona stayed on the sidelines, waiting for everyone to listen to each other, only to finally speak up and remind them what the Magic of Friendship. Sure, the Tree may be gone, but not its memory.

    BTW, her explanation for the yak's love for smashing cleverly develops more into her culture and really shows there's more into their lives than just aggression. Not a bad evolution after Party Popped wrote them as savage and primitive. Spike and Twilight are written well, retaining their complementary relationship while helping the Y6. This episode climaxes with The Place Where We Belong, S9's and the Y6's first song. Sentimental yet hopeful, its tone and message are wonderful. While things and lives come and go, their memories don't as long as we remember them and use them to self-improve. It feels a lot like an allegory about death, but rather than replace it for hibernation, there's a true sense of finality with Sombra destroying the Tree and Elements and the unknown of how to properly tribute it. Their decision to build a small treehouse solves that problem wonderfully. Yes, it's not the best built, using broken trunks, branches, and spare parts, but it centralizes who the Young 6 are: a diverse cast who represents the best of each kingdom and each other. The following lines punctuate it:
    But then, a miracle. By representing the Magic of Friendship at its purest, they rebuilt harmony within each other and applied their close friendship to rebuild it in its memory. Consquently, the Tree of Harmony turned to this:


    The Treehouse of Harmony's beautiful! Its crystalline pastel colors of blue, pink, and yellow invite the eyes, and it's breathtakingly composed. Compared to the Castle of Friendship, you'd want to actually go there. The Tree's spirit says they'll be safe within the house's walls, and optically, you believe her. Also, the ruins of Castle of the Two Sisters is collapsing (credit to @Truffles for pointing this out), so the Treehouse now takes its rightful place, replacing it for something more useful.
    As far as the elephant of the room's concerned, sure, the inspirations to Castle Sweet Castle are obvious, thanks to its similar structure and ideas, but the plots aren't the same. In fact, there's one gigantic difference between them:
    In CSC, the RM5 want to make Twilight's castle feel more like home. Twilight stayed away from it because she found it to not feel as homey as the Golden Oak Library, and no one found a cohesive solution for vral hours. So what do thy do to? Use the Golden Oak Library's roots as a tribute to her old home to connect her old home with her new one. Here, the episode's about memorializing the Tree only, but none of the Y6 could come up with a proper solution without desecrating its legacy. Until Yona reminded them of how they became friends and became closer as a result of the Tree's test. So they used the Tree's old branches, trunk, and Elements to build a treehouse, and the Tree used its powers to create a temple. Coming into Uprooted, I predicted the Y6 will become the new Bearers of Harmony, for the Tree tested them, saved them, each on sharing similar qualities with the ReMane Six (while still being themselves), and the Tree encasing them with the Elements' glows encased them in Raze. But with the auras being trading interchangeably (compare this to this), the Elements and Tree evolve into the Treehouse, and the spirit wants the Magic of Friendship wanting a safe space for friendship, it's becoming more and more possible that the Tree's spirit and magic used when the Pillars planted the seed want to pass down the MoF, perhaps to everyone, not just six masters. The fact that we also see no cutie marks may foreshadow more of what's to come.
    Altogether, a really good episode.
  24. Dark Qiviut
    Note: Various users are credited here, and there are some uncovered Season 9 spoilers (so read at your own risk!)
    Well, Season 9 arrived, so it's time to post my tops and bottoms of FIM's second-best season so far. My previous overviews are linked below.
    Season 5 Season 6, 1st Half Season 6 Season 7, 1st Half Season 7 I don't apologize for gushing over S8 this early.
    One important note: Despite being counted as an episode, The Best Gift Ever is self-contained, so it's not included.
    Episodes
    Bottom-3:
    Fake It 'Til You Make It
    Or, as I'll say for here, Putting Your Hoof Down 2.0. This entire episode is a major retread of one of the worst of the series. Background/tertiary ponies act rude for the sake of the plot? Check.

    Fluttershy conveniently forgets being assertive without being a jerk? Check.

    Fluttershy becomes an even bigger jerk than the folks she talks (down) to? Check.

    Consequences for her actions go unresolved for a painfully badly executed lesson? Double check!

    But that only scratches the surface for how bad this ripoff truly is. To go over some of them…

    a. Manehattan's setting's one-dimensional. Every single shopper to visit Rarity for You acts like a stereotypical depiction of New York's commercialized neighborhoods from an outsider's perspective. Sans the Edward Scissorhands parody, all act snooty, high of themselves, and with a one-track mind. Can you find anything worthwhile of these caricatures? Not at all. Even worse, since every shopper's like this, it makes Saddle Row a one-dimensional, unpleasant atmosphere.

    b. That said, despite their rudeness, the worst anyone really became was a background pony — Mare E. Lynn her name — agreeing with Fluttershy's eviction threat. At no point did anyone belittle her or act physical. All they want was to buy Rarity's clothes to match them. Fluttershy behaves worse than anyone else and, unlike its predecessor, has no motive justifying this sudden change in characterization. Bossing the raccoons around, threatening to kick them out, dissing them as rodents, and insulting her friends all cross a very firm line that this show established from the very beginning of the show. Why does she bear Kindness? For her inherent empathy and patience for others. She violates her moral code for a shitty, out-of-character reason. On top of that, by claiming to be pretending, FITYMI removes all accountability, rushes its conclusion, and makes her apology unearned.

    c. Rarity doesn't get absolved, either. Just like Honest Apple, she continues to show horrible leadership by rushing to find a backup storekeeper for the shop. Had she pre-planned everything, she wouldn't be this disorganized. But to make it worse, she becomes very OOC herself by bashing Manehattanites, Saddlettes, and her customers behind their backs, implicating she only extended her clothing line to Saddle Row to make a quick bit rather than connecting people's inner beauty. You do know your employees and many of your friends live there, right? What would they think about you if they caught you shit-talking about them? Won't be fun, ain't it?

    Now, does it get as bad as the former on the whole? Not quite. At least some of the characters here remain pleasant (contrived excuses aside), particularly Smoky, Softpad, and Smoky Jr. But that doesn't give this laziness a pass. Skip it!

    @Captain Clark, @Nyactis Mewcis Catlum, and @Jeric are credited for this.
      Compete Crap Clause
    Stole it from @Captain Clark. It fits too much. Whereas the former ripped off PYHD, this crap ripped off an actual good episode. So, how can AJ and RD get away with their immaturity in Fall Weather Friends and not here?

    In the former, neither of them were really good friends at the time. Prior, they disagreed and showed some friction. Additionally, FWF's stakes were lower and more grounded, and the goal was set: Dash has to compete in the Running of the Lave without flying to cheat. The highest moment of tension (their brawl) only affected them. Afterwards, they felt embarrassed, learned their lesson, and immediately worked together to complete their mission.

    OTOH, FWF 2.0 takes place several seasons later. They're teaching students the lessons of friendship they themselves learned over the years. Are they the most mature? No. That's okay. What isn't okay is degrading them into out-of-character children by putting the safety and education before their lust to win Teacher of the Month! To win it, they (or shall I say the story?) raise the stakes twice. Firstly, Dash's selfish desire to win Teacher of the Month and a stupid timing competition caused friction with AJ, resulting in a careless accident in bite-acuda-infested rapids…despite both knowing that Yona is so aquaphobic and can't swim (more about this later). Yet, after Twilight threatened to take over the trip, they agreed to get along, yet still competed with on another by being passive aggressive and testy with each other, forcing the Young 6 to find the way out of the nature walk for them and nearly getting themselves devoured.

    On top of that, just before it ends, they go back to arguing again, implicating they learned nothin'! As a result, NCC becomes the third episode — Cutie Pox & Fame the first two — to become pointless filler!

    The dialogue, usually a strength of S8, was clunky, contrived, and painfully unfunny.

    Protip: Writing long-standing characters out of character to make new ones better is pure laziness and risks making the new characters unlikable. The Y6 were poorly written.

    Two moments save it from failing: Twilight actively calling Dash and AJ out for their incompetence and threatening to punish them, and Dash and AJ getting sincerely nominated for TotM — risking that reward will make them think about how stupid they behaved on the trip.
      A Matter of Principals
    Discord's at his best when he's a jerk with a heart of gold. An ability to show he cares in his way. Unfortunately, AMoP flanderizes him into only a brat, first by tricking the RM6 to go on a friendship quest (which meant getting Fluttershy into the same pickle), and then using his jealousy of Starlight to make her and the student body miserable. His behavior contributed to friction between Starlight and disorder in the school with substitutes (including Cwanky as an out-of-character lazybones and jerk, and a dragon-sneeze tree to get under Spike's scales ).

    For the first time since The Crystalling, Starlight and Spike share the spotlight, and both of them were written fine here. While Discord and Starlight didn't get along, Spike acted as the middle man, keeping a cooler head while being as objective as possible. After Discord unleashed a bugbear on the grounds and put Yona in harm's way, Starlight was 100% justified to blast him and banish him from the school grounds. On the other hand, this is exactly what Discord wanted, as he insulted her for her past villainy, and the fact that she got her temper get the best of her proved him right and left her in a big dilemma.

    The ending is unfulfilled, yet not as black and white as some think. On one hand, Discord doesn't deserve Starlight's job offer for reasons explained. Clearly he doesn't deserve it, and even though the RM6's return — all filthy — nullified her hire, the fact that she hired nullified any consequences for his actions. On the other, despite being the interim headmare, she's also the SoF's counselor, so she also has to look in others' shoes. Rather than balance her job, she focused on leading the school and didn't consider the source of his actions to constructively solve sooner.

    Is it the worst episode of S8B? Without a doubt. But to echo from my quickieview here, it's watchable mediocrity, nothing more. Dishonorable mentions: Father Knows Beast & Yakity-Sax.
    ———
    Top-6:
    A Rockhoof and a Hard Place
    During the second half, FIM went on a five great-episode streak, two of which are included here. This is one of them and the best of them all last year. Kaita Mpambara cleverly foreshadows Rockhoof's eventual wish to become a stone statue, ala Discord by both the princesses initially and the M6 later.

    In addition to being absolutely funny, Hard Place briefly featured one of the most beautiful set pieces of the show: Mistmane's Crystal Empire garden is full of beautiful colors, composed perfectly, and feels exactly like something she'd do. Long ago, she surrendered her outer beauty to preserve an old friend's, and the hard work she put here is an extension of that same selflessness.

    There are two stars here: Yona and Rockhoof.

    a. Yona acted as Rockhoof's foil. When she first met him, she admired him for his strength, perseverance, pride, bravery, and occasion to smash, yakdom's cultural foundations. Immediately, she grew a student crush on him, and her excitement when thinking of him perfectly blends with her innocence and youth. This is why "Day just got betterrrrr!" is so damn funny: It's so easy to understand where she comes from, and her reaction's very in character. So who can blame her for reacting to Spike's news the hardest? So how did she respond? With the season's best scene.

    b. Rockhoof is the center of this fish-out-of-water tale, and he's incredibly sympathetic. No matter the job, he always tries to impress not just himself, but also others. When they thank him, he knows he succeeded. When he screws up, he feels guilty. War conquered the realm long ago, so his warrior-first instincts don't leave, but today, harmony triumphs, and now he's a veteran looking to live and not give up what he grew up remembering. Everyone can go home, but he can't, and Stygian adapted to modern life, but not him! Once his most innate skill — using the constellations to dictate direction — is moot by time, he believed the only way out was to become stone, an allegory of suicide that was masterfully executed.

    Not a bad outcome for a Pillars with a bland backstory, huh?

    This is just a summary of its magnificence, so read my review for fuller detail. Like my main review, credit goes to @TheAnimationFanatic, @Ganondox, and @gingerninja666 here.
      The Break Up Break Down Unimpressive synopsis, impressive episode. In a season full of improved dialogue, this in particular really showed not just the highly-crafted lines, but also how the editing team responsible for Shadow Play's quick wit influenced this. Not one line feels wasted; they all mean something and carry a purpose to fulfill circumstances later. Some of the best lines not only delivered hilarious comedy, but also genuine heart while fluently transitioning the tone by Act 2's end.

    Several seasons ago, Discord was the M6's biggest foe, and it took more than a full season after he reformed until they began to have any faith in him. tarting in Season 6, Confalone's Dungeons & Discord added him with the tandem of Spike and Big Mac to create the O&O trio. On the surface, it shouldn't work, yet somehow he succeeded. Now they all act like they knew each other since Spike hatched, and it makes sense. Their organic tandem sells the humor, snarky exchanges, Big Mac's anguish, and Discord's act to mend his friend's relationship with Sugar Belle.

    Yet, that was only the A-plot. The CMCs were also spectacular here. Thinking Sweetie has a secret admirer, they search for him, experiencing equally funny shenanigans. Yes, thre wasn't nearly as much time spent here, but Confalone economically took advantage of what he gave them, including rendezvousing at the barn and getting mixed up with Big Mac, who accidentally flustered on them (and apologized). Did thy find "him"? No. And they realized it was all a mix up. But being best friends, the journey more than made up the destination, punctuated by one of the most heartwarming lines all year: Awwwww…!

    P.S.: Here's my full review.
      The Hearth's Warming Club
    If only Acts 1 & 2, it would've been good. The final six minutes turned it into the best Christmas episode of the franchise and one of the top-15 overall. To go over it one by one:

    a. Gallus asks Silverstream what cousins are. Thanks to his sarcasm and pride from earlier, for him to ask a sincere question comes off as rather surprising to the audience, evident by how off-guard Ocellus was as she explained to him. Earlier shots foreshadowed his act to vandalize the Fire of Friendship, but this was the first outward clue.

    b. Once Smolder and Yona complete their interrogations, everycreature becomes desperate and worried. They want to go home, but someone holds them back. No one confessing equals guilt from everyone. Therefore, they apply their anger on others, such as Sandbar accusing Smolder of feigning anger and Silverstream's conspiracy theory. Ignoring Gallus's words of calm, they argue loudly. While they fought early that semester, this is their first true fight as friends. Their anger is weighty, and watching his friends devolve hurt him to the point of nearly crying.

    c. Gallus's backstory is devastating. His friends are incredibly lucky to have family to celebrate with, but like many in real life, not everyone is. Griffonstone's family dynamics are either unstable or nonexistent, evidence pointing the latter; he's an orphan in a desolate, corrupt world. His friends are his first real family, and the School his first real home. As bad as damaging the main hall is, can't you blame him for not looking forward to returning to Griffonstone? No! Going back there meant returning to an aimless, depressing life, even for a few weeks.

    d. So with the ample opportunity to hide his secret, why confess? As what he said to his friends, he didn't went them to stay stuck in her School and feel just as miserable here as himself while in Griffonstone. Yes, his friends will be there, but won't enjoy each other's company. If they ever find out later, who knows how close they'll be. For all he knows, they may relapse and separate, leaving him all alone again. By confessing and accepting the consequences, he saves everyone's friendship.

    e. Right here, the remaining five demonstrate true friendship. Despite every good reason to be mad, disappointed, and force him to relearn friendship lessons as punishment alone, they chose to not only forgive him, but also support him at his lowest point. Maturity quickly developing beyond their years, they elect to stay behind, proving he's one of them no matter what (and nullifying his punishment). Similar to the RM7 two episodes ago, they become closer.

    This episode is phenomenal, and I cannot recommend it enough!
      Road to Friendship
    Like Big Mac, Spike, and Discord's friendship, Starlight and Trixie's began in S6's No Second Prances, a very rocky episode. Since then, DHX greatly improved their chemistry, solidified their friendship, and make it important for them to have conflicts without making each other look horrible. Road to Friendship continues to build it and is unquestionably their best outing together.

    Like Break Down or Horse Play, its tight dialogue convinces the audiences to buy into their friendship. Listen to how Starlight and Trixie communicate with each other and their environments. Their chemistry's organic in its humor, drama, and overall emotion. Haber took full advantage of not only take full advantage to comedic opportunities, but how to test their friendships too. We're Friendship-Bound, its lyrics, and tone are ear porn, and Pinkie's friends must be a teeeeeensy bit jealous over its fourth-wall-breaking madness.

    However, don't ignore Hoo'Far nor him inadvertently contributing to the conflict. He met Trixie and would like to trade his larger wagon for something smaller and more homey. Is Trixie's rusty, uncooperative, crowded and falling apart? Yes. But to her, it's her home, so there's sentimental value attached to it… But Hoo'Far sees it from a material P.O.V. only and believes she needs  change.

    Starlight agrees with him. Since stopping at Somnambula, their whole trip worsened, and to her, Trixie's caravan is its source. By agreeing to trade, they have more room to sleep and store. Trixie told him why her wagon matters so much, but not her. For all she knows, Trixie wants to trade it, yet nopony offered to. Nevertheless, Starlight has NO right trading her property without asking! Thanks to their bad argument the night before, Trix's anger rightfully worsens. Fortunately, the ep understood this, hence its harsh treatment against SG once they split and that she apologized, a reversal of NSP done right.

    Heh! As a result of this upbeat, scaled-back classic, you'd think they knew each other since before the pilot.

    P.S.: My quickieview.

    P.P.S.: SG, Trix, please work on your chant and dance. Thank you!
      The Washouts
    A scrapped ending for Wonderbolts Academy was to redeem Lightning Dust, but after being reckless, selfish, and careless to the point of nonchalantly eschewing the RM5's near-fatal peril, it doesn't make sense. Disqualifying her works best. So what becomes of LD now? Does she retry for the WB, start a new career, or change for the better? The Washouts answers every question: leads a successful group of "washed-out" ex-'Bolts and becomes one of FIM's most manipulative antagonists.

    Her foil's Rainbow Dash, who continues a mostly grand streak of great outings (minus one, sadly). When DHX writes her well, they balance her ego with sympathetic depth, and like Berrow in GGW, Confalone does the same here. The episode phenomenally exploits her ego and self-confidence with equal dedication caring for Scootaloo and never relenting the consequences of when she exposes her flaws.

    Since most of TW is in Dash's perspective, we follow her every move and witness when she's either strong or vulnerable. However, Scootaloo isn't around her all the time; when she opens the Washouts Fan Club, Dash interrogates her. Later on, she brags about how much better the WBs are next to her and doesn't warm up to them at all till later in the stunt show, transitioning her emotions from envy to concern without being forced, especially once LD uses Scoot's rebellious naivete to claim anyone is capable of being a Washout.

    As per usual, it's really funny, especially this classic scene!
     
    Unfortunately, Dash's "tough love" not only made her feel more left out of the Wonderbolts, but also helped solidify Scoot's decision to become a Washout. Add to the fact that Dash immediately shuttered the Washout club over Scoot's inward objections, solidifying the thought that her mentor didn't act in good faith at any point.

    I haven't even touched upon the subtle development of Scoot's quest for inclusion (explained further down) and the harsh lesson Dash needed to hear to close Act 2, which you can find here. In all, a fantastic episode!
      The Mean 6
    What better way to close out Season 8A with the second-best 13th episode!

    After a small sabbatical, Chryssie returns, aimless in the forest and desperate for revenge on the Mane 8, especially Twilight and Starlight. In doing so, she concocted a crazy scheme of replicating the RM6, leading to some of the best exchanges and jokes, mainly the hilarious tension between her and Snarkle.

    But the real stars of TM6 is the RM7. Immediately conflict brew between them, beginning with TS's impatience with the photographer and slowly growing while trekking deeper into the Forest (i.e., Pinkie accidentally startling FS and Rarity leaving man equipment behind). After FS wanders off to help a bird find his nest, the conflict improves, especially when they encounter QC's doppelgangers unbeknownst (and vice-versa). These exchanges brought forth both needed comedy to keep it entertaining, but also accelerated the frustrations within each of the ReMane 7; Lazy Dash's dismissals of 'Shy and Sparkle at their lowest points and Liarjack bullying Starlight for carrying all the camping gear are perhaps the best examples.

    Consequently, the RM7 had probably their worst argument since Return of Harmony. Thanks to confusion, everyone was anguishing realistically, the tears from Twilight subtly accentuating the pain. By accident, Chrysalis almost successfully broke them up…if not for their strong bond.

    Oh, and this…
    Indeed… *shudder*

    P.S.: My full review. Like before, Jeric, Clark, and @PathfinderCS credited here.
      Honorable mentions: Surf and/or Turf, Grannies Gone Wild, & Sounds of Silence.
    Note: All episodes are listed in my order. As for S8's alone, they're below with their grades and placement (as of the day before S9 debuts).
    S8 episode ranking:
    A Rockhoof and a Hard Place: A+ (#8) The Break Up Break Down: A+ (#10) The Hearth's Warming Club: A (#14) Road to Friendship: A (#17) The Washouts: A (#18) The Mean 6: A (#23) Surf and/or Turf: A (#26) Grannies Gone Wild: A (#28) Sounds of Silence: A- (#35) Horse Play: A- (#41) Molt Down: A- (#45) What Lies Beneath: A- (#46) Friendship University: B+ (#54) Marks for Effort: B+ (#56) The Parent Map: B+ (#60) The End in Friend: B (#71) School Raze: B (#75) The Maud Couple: B (#78) School Daze: B- (#84) Yakity-Sax: B- (#92) Father Knows Beast: B- (#98) A Matter of Principals: C- (#133) Non-Compete Clause: D- (#152) Fake It 'Til You Make It: F (#163)  
    Morals:
    Bottom:
    N/A.
    In order to qualify, it must be a bad moral on its own merits. While some were poorly executed, they weren't actually bad. ———
    Top-3:
    Breakdown: Don't be afraid to openly admit your feelings. Those who care for you will listen and understand.
    This lesson rings true in both this episode and beyond. Communication is crucial to any relationship, both romantically and familiarly. What's one of the most important elements of communication? Listening. Thanks to misinformation and miscommunication, Big Mac & Sugar nearly fell out on the most romantic day of the year. Thankfully, BM didn't give up and openly admitted his love for her as he mended her trailer, and Sugar — in her sweet, bubbly, caring voice — not only cleared it all up, but became more in love with him.
      Hard Place: No matter how hurt, lonely, or hopeless you feel, you matter.
    Over a year ago, Rick & Morty co-creator Dan Harmon tweeted very valuable advice for battling depression. The sentence that struck me, who was never clinically depressed, was how your feelings may be real, but aren't reality. That rings so true to Rockhoof, whose self-shame for his inability to adapt to modern times no matter how hard he tried made him believe no one sees him for the hero he was anymore. Yona, who admires him, convinced him he belonged not just by how much she likes him, but by rounding the whole school up to greet him.
      Surf: Even if you don't know it, you wording can perpetuate doubt and confusion to someone else.
    Another key component to a healthy relationship is how you communicate. Words matter. Even if what you say's innocent, another person might not take it that way. Observe the awareness of microaggressions to create a more inclusive society, for example. Now, what happens in Surf and/or Turf's completely unrelated to bigotry in any way, but pay attention to what Terramar's parents say to him: When he explained his conflict, he believes that if he chooses one home over the other, he lets others down and pins blame on himself for their separation, a very common feeling among kids of divorced parents. Statements like these perfectly exemplify why Terramar was so confused, unsure, and overwhelmed. Extra pressure's added onto his shoulders without them realizing it. Honorable mention: The best friendships overcome the toughest hardships (Mean 6).
    New characters:
    Characters that appeared on screen prior to S8 (even when in the background) don't count. So some of the tertiary characters from Fake It and Stellar Flare won't make the cut.
    Bottom-4:
    Every tertiary character debuting in Fake It.
    Every Manehattanite who walked into RFY's a walking stereotype, and the new ones share the problem. They're uninteresting, irritating, and obnoxious. I don't come to watch FIM to see caricatures of millennials, Gen-Xers, rich people, goths, and so forth. Save those elsewhere. Dishonorable mention: Rolling Thunder (flat co-foil for Scootaloo).
    Top-6:
    Yona.
    Cute yak best yak! NEXT!
      Gallus.
    This griffin is a hysterical featherball of jerkery. Embedded with a Griffonstone edge, he keeps his vulnerability within, yet will reveal it when he feels he has to.
      Cozy Glow.
    Triumphs over Stygian as the show's best villain. Deceptive, witty, manipulative, confident. Innocent on the outside, scheming from the inside. More than willing to make friends, then dump them after fulfilling her usefulness while making them the guilty party.
      Smolder.
    Growing up with her own culture in the Dragon Lands and understanding it from inside and out, she's macho without being demeaned for it, yet actually cares for others in her own way. Since S6, FIM showcased dragons in a more positive light; she's the most thorough example, especially in Molt Down and Father Knows Beast.
      Autumn Blaze.
    From my SoS review:
    Oh, and this:
    ^ If you can make a really serious situation witty and hysterical, y'got talent.
      Sludge.
    From my FKB review: Honorable mentions: Silverstream, Ocellus, Sandbar, Snarkle.
    Mane 8:
    Bottom:
    Fluttershy.
    Blame it on Fake It PYHD 2.0, her worst portrayal of the entire series. Backtracking her growth all these years, having to relearn her lessons in a contrived fashion (no pun intended), knowingly threatening to evict a rescue raccoon family, and apologizing half-assedly. In PYHD, she became a bigger plothole because everyone was atrocious to her first. But this ripoff gives her no believable motive and regresses her by storytelling demand.
    Dishonorable mention: AJ.
    ———
    Top:
    Starlight Glimmer.
    Were ya expecting anyone else? S7 improved her performance and was its best man character, but two episodes held her back: Fame (being the false vessel for DHX to reject the Death of the Author theory) and To Chang a Changeling (became OOC by calling Pharynx a "lost cause" behind his back). S8 improves her consistency tenfold. No OOC moments, no contrived mouthpiece of DHX. As a character, she takes control and is in character in every appearance she's in.
    Honorable mention: Twilight.
    ---
    Full M8 rank (in order):
    Starlight Glimmer Twilight Sparkle Spike Pinkie Pie Rainbow Dash Rarity Applejack Fluttershy  
    Moments:
    Bottom-3:
    Yona nearly drowns.
    An in-character, likeable Dash and AJ would stop squabbling over some lame record. That same Dash, who rejected going after a difficult-to-attain windpower record from Hurricane Fluttershy after several pegasi were too sick to fly, would consider her inability to swim and utilize her lessons to help teach her students friendship. That same AJ, who forgave Grand Pear and welcomed him to the family decades after disowning his late daughter, would stop arguing with Dash and focus on helping the students row safely. But nope! We got new characters in disguise whose out-of-character stupidity caused their boat to crash in dangerous water and needed the help of Ocellus and Silverstream to rescue her after nearly drowning!

    Do they have ANY idea how lucky they are?! If she died, relations between Yakyakistan and Equestria break beyond repair. Even worse, Twilight will have to close down the school! Prince Rutherford agreed to lend his trust to Equestrian royalty and let her join the school. Again, this ain't Fall Weather Friends or Castle Mane-ia! They're supposed to be past this stupid phase! Congratu-feathering-lations for proving Neighsay right, ponuts!
      Discord unleashes a bugbear on Starlight's students.
    Reasons why are similar to prior. Had Discord's prank harm Yona or the others, Twilight's school has an irreparable PR nightmare. Not to mention it makes Discord a spoiled brat! The reason it's lower is because a non-student's responsible for this, and the interim headmare both successfully intervened and justifiably called him out for his actions.
      Fluttershy threatens to evict Smokey and family.
    Verbally abusing animals, who she values so much and the core of her talent, violates her moral compass that this show sided for so long. To make it worse, Rarity reminded her early on how she rescued them, hired them, and they became very valuable employees. After threatening them, she proudly bashed them behind their backs to a fellow mare who agrees. *scoff* Some "pretending"! Dishonorable mentions:
    FS claims she "pretended." Discord screws up the treasure hunt. Maud stands Pinkie up. Dash & AJ argue to conclude NCC. Twilight suddenly announces the School of Friendship. Top-5:
    Yona rallies the School in support of Rockhoof.
    From my HP review (with edits for here): Discord breaks Sugar Belle's wagon wheel.
    Reiterating from above, reformed!Discord is written the best by balancing his abrasion with caring for his friends. (Observe this balancing act from The Beginning of the End for an excellent post-S8 example.) In Break Down, he acts like rude and selfish at times (even shooing Hearts & Hooves Day as a commercialized fad), but when he screws up, he'll go make it right. Here, he uses his chaotic magic to stealthily break Sugar Belle's wheel, allowing Big Mac to catch up to her, where they settle their differences and reunite. Yes, he complains about Hearts & Hooves Day being a commercialized fad, yet after his bad advice nearly breaks 'em up, he actively salvages it, proving his belief of romance and friendship with Spike & Big Mac.
      Smolder and Gallus won't leave the cave. Seven sentences. No more. A simple pause in the action fulfills several points.

    a. The School of Friendship helped them learn to become better people.

    b. No matter where they live, how they celebrate, speak, or what they look like, everyone's equal.

    c. Their friends matter. If they pass their tests alone, they'll help them and support them. They'd rather be trapped underneath than abandon them.

    d. Individually, they developed. Each task up to What Lies Beneath affects who they are and how they respond to the Tree's test. Without School Daze, Clause, and Club, they never become the people we know now.

    P.S.: I'm still in a self-plugging mood right now. If anyone wants to read my What Lies Beneath review, click here.
      After Twilight dismisses class for the winter, Gallus flies away.


    mlp.fandom.com's caption perfectly points it out: "Note the subtle foreshadowing here - only Gallus appears unhappy in this shot." The Young 6's whole dynamic fleshes out, starting here. Without it, we know nothing of their lifestyles or Gallus's home hardship.
      Lightning Dust's false inclusive motive. Originally, Scootaloo's love for The Washouts appeared to be a fad. At the start, she represented the rebelous teenager growing fascinated with the extra danger because it was "cooler" than the Wonderbolts. Until the final act, she never relinquishes this role. But this exchange creatively swerved an extra motive to admiring the Washouts: inclusivity. Unlike every other pegasi to date, she can't fly, yet idolizes Dash, who's now a Wonderbolt. She envies her mentor and her rise to stardom and feels guilty. This shot punctuates her guilt:


    But when Dust retorts, her facial expressions improve instantaneously:



    Every thing Scootaloo says and does through the rest of Act 2 calls back to these shots.

    a. Scheming with Dust to have the WBs expel her, qualifying her to join.

    b. Rejecting Dash's and Spitfire's tough love, believing they had selfish ulterior motives. "Following your wingflaps" subtly points to her disability (thank you, Ganondox, for this point) and envy of Dash for achieving an unattainable goal.

    c. Dash's snappy decision to close her fan club finalizing her decision to join the Washouts.

    After all of this, it culminates with the most painful lesson in Dash's life, and the one she most deserved to hear. The Washouts calls back so many episodes so subtly, including Flight to the Finish, and takes advantage of its continuity to build an internal conflict developing within Scootaloo for quite some time. Not only did Confalone and his editors write an avenue for Scootaloo to search for a club that'd include disabled pegasi like her, but also show major differences between them.

    Does Dash love Scootaloo? Of course she does! She's her surrogate sister. But her ego made her believe she became protective in bad faith. Scootaloo's direct rant was a long time coming, and made Dash painfully realize she'll never become one of the best fliers, the key physical qualifier for becoming a 'Bolt. The Washouts gave her a chance to prove herself, and she wasn't giving it up. Like it or not, Scoot's growing up; she must trust her to use her conscience and judge if a stunt's too dangerous. Dash and Twi did the right thing letting her go and decide for herself.
    Honorable mentions:
    Cozy talks to Starlight after watching Twilight expel the CMCs. Silverstream stands up to The Storm King. Twilight sticks up for Spike after helping defeat the Roc. Ocean Flow and Skybeak (Terramar's parents) greet each other warmly. Celestia leads the play's rescue. Gallus's friends stay behind to support him. What I want for Season 9:
    The usual: maintain consistency, watch out for unfortunate implications, etc.
      Haber and Dubuc continue working as a team. Shadow Play really showed what they were capable of; despite a slow start, they helped edit the most consistently great season of the show. Haaber's return helped improve S7, Dubuc's arrival added extra touches to improve its formula. So far, they remain that team with the touch.
      Further develop the Young Six. What Lies Beneath and School Raze show us what to potentially expect of them: The Tree of Harmony likes them, has faith in them, and believes they can spread the Magic of Friendship far and wide. Friendship's in their nature. Don't be surprised if they succeed the RM6 and either become the new Bearers or become successors to the Elements before them. The Y6 are some of the best group of characters FIM ever had; more of them, please!
      Deliver finality. Hasbro announced Season 9 as its last. As disappointing as it is to many, S9 and FIM's end's also a time to celebrate the show itself, what it became, its consistency from the beginning, and how it can inspire other shows years from now.

    Story-wise, there's still some closure left. Cozy Glow's S8's villain, yet she, Tirek, or Chrysalis aren't done. Their arcs remain. The Beginning of the End and an upcoming episode may foreshadow their conclusions, but the ride interests me just as much. Verdict:
    No secret. I love Season 8! Had S5 not top it just a little bit, it'd be my favorite. Great episodes, excellent consistency, great new characters. Best villain. I don't need to say anymore. Bring on Season 9!!!
    P.S.: My season order: 5 > 8 > 7 > 2 > 1 > 4 > 3 > 6.
  25. Dark Qiviut
    Dumbo went through so much trauma throughout. Bullied by a brat for his wings (and getting his mom locked up in the process), ostracized as a freak by the Matriarch and the other elephants, demoted into a clown sideshow after accidentally destroying the circus tent, and bullied by the crows before Timothy stood up for him and made them have changes of heart. And I didn’t even get to Baby Mine!
    Suffice it to say that this film is really sad…which makes this happy ending so triumphant in hindsight. If there was one character who deserved it, it’s him!
     
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