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Dark Qiviut

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  2. Dark Qiviut
    So here we are. After over a year of in-canon hype, Equestria Games finally airs. It's a self-contained episode written by Dave Polsky (who previously wrote Daring Don't, Rarity Takes Manehattan, Twilight Time, and For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils), who wrote one Equestria Games-centered episode once prior in Games Ponies Play. The ponified version of the Olympics offers a ton of creativity and interaction among different cultures, traditions, and characters. With plenty to experience and build, the logical part was to explore various aspects of it, right?
     
    No.
     
    Instead, Spike was the focus with the Games relegated to the background, resulting in missed opportunities, a broken promise, and a broken conflict that had no business taking place at the Games.
     
    Strengths:
    For the most part, the Mane Six are relatively in character. Whatever they said, did, and behaved were very appropo to their respective personalities and development up to this point. Admittingly, Snowflake and Fluttershy were still out of character, but that's because Rainbow Falls royally screwed up the continuity, and Polsky was stuck with the crap RF left behind.
     
    And on the side, it's downright refreshing to see an array of characters beyond just the typical we normally witness. It gives the Equestria Games a subtle parallel to the international mosaic of the real-life Olympics. In particular the royalty suite, where the nobles, ambassadors, and leaders from other cities or countries. More of that…if you guys at Hasbro and DHX have the wherewithal to thrust the opportunities forward.
    Whichever competitions were shown (ice archery, aerial relay), they were unique and fit the lore of Equestria.
    On its own, the moral itself — sometimes the one who's most hard on is yourself; take pride in the hard work you endured — is very relatable and mature. You have so many people young and old who feel exactly the same as Spike did in EG.
    The visuals are quite beautiful (if ignoring the fadeaway dots in the crowd). There's nice detail with great usage of perspective, and the Crystal Empire itself doesn't let up on the high-quality layouts. Despite The Crystal Empire being a weakly told two-parter, the visuals never cease to impress.
    Some of the comedy works. The hammerspace gag is perfect for the climax, along with others like Dash's "casual" pose as Spike sulks by or Twilight's "Equestria, we have a problem."
     
    (Pinkie's "NAILED IT!", though, is very forced.)
    One of the common problems that's been noticeable lately is the continuing of a flanderized portion of Spike being clumsy or just plain stupid. In one moment, this clumsiness was justified by having him light up the torch. It's one thing to light or burn something on your own or a small group. it's another before a stadium containing anywhere from 40,000 to 100,000 spectators.
    The abundance of Derpy. Need I say more?

    Weaknesses (and I have a ton to write about):
    It's a very common sin, one that Tommy Oliver and other reviewers have called out quite a bit this season: the arbitrary exposition. Instead of establishing the conflict early through organic storytelling, the dialogue tells you exactly what the conflict will be before the first act heads to commercial. By telling right off the bat, you take the fun out of the journey, make the conclusion extremely predictable, and immediately suck investment out from the audience. It was one of Rainbow Falls's quietest yet biggest issues, one that's occurred repeatedly this season. Equestria Games falls for that same trap when Spike tells the Cutie Mark Crusaders he takes a few breaths to calm himself (something he was unable to do for understandable reasons).
     
    For extra exposition, there was the medal count Pinkie revealed later in the episode. Instead of showing the medal count, Pinkie told the audience who had the most medals up to the final event. The problem with it is twofold.
     
    a. It was told for the reasons already given.
     
    b. It became a sudden moment of tension between the Mane Six. A sudden, unnecessary secondhand conflict that was resolved as quickly as revealed. If medal-watching was supposed to be important, then it should've been there rather early rather than be a clumsy twist.
    The climax is very contrived. Unicorns are forced to pass through a security system that temporarily disables their magic "to prevent cheating." An Earth pony suddenly trips over his own arrows and accidentally shoots an arrow into the sky, freezing a cloud that somehow hung over the stadium. Because of the security system in check, no unicorn or alicorn is capable of using their magic to dispel the frozen cloud. That leaves Spike to be the one to save the day.
     
    Okaaaaayyy…
     
    a. So why didn't anyone keep the sky clear during the Equestria Games? That way, that botched shot wouldn't touch the cloud and condense it with ice. Also, just in case something like this does happen, wouldn't some kind of magic shield, force field, or spell dispel any magic that touched anything stray other than the target itself? That way, you continue the competition safely.
     
    b. Although Luna and Celestia flew to the frozen cloud to stop it from falling, certainly there was one unicorn or alicorn allowed as security to prevent life-or-death situations like these. If not, then that's very poor security.
     
    c. As what @ said recently, the climax is given to him. He didn't have to work hard; he was there by chance and took advantage. This isn't like For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils, where the Cutie Mark Crusaders play a game of cat and mouse to fix the headdress or TT123 where Twilight used Dash's ability to concentrate while flying to help her study. Through EG's process, the climax is anticlimactic.
     
    d. Instead of Act 2, why not have unicorns and alicorns pass through the security screening early in Equestria Games and show an olympic competition with at least one unicorn? When you add ponies with horns into the competition and take care of it early, it adds credibility to the security system and settles the plot point more organically into the story.
     
    (Then again, this would more than likely nullify Spike's sudden stage fright midway in Act 1 and kill Spike's conflict altogether.)
    There's a difference between having Spike being naïve, nervous, and an idiot. Spike not being able to light up the torch and believing he let everyone down was very in character. The fact that he felt down after bumbling the Cloudesdale anthem was in character…until you look at what happened earlier.
     
    a. Spike said aloud that he can conjure fire with his mind?
     

     
    Granted, it was reinforced through one instance in Owl's Well (because Spikabuse is SOOOOOOOOOOOO hilarious!), but Spike actually believed he could light up fire for some time? C'mon, man! You just crossed that line from making Spike nervous for a good reason into flanderizing his failures and making him an idiot!
     
    b. Speaking of making Spike an idiot, why the HELL would he even want to sing the Cloudesdale anthem when he obviously had no idea what the lyrics were despite claiming he did? Just by the first screwup alone and overall episode pattern, he was obviously going to screw up even bigger than last time. Through the sequences, it merely sets up more fervent embarrassment he had to endure. And worse, his out-of-character actions were written partially for laughs and partially to make you feel bad for him. That scene is called cringe comedy, but done out of the expense of Spike's characterization. Out-of-character comedy isn't good comedy, especially when the comedy is done to undeservingly abuse a child character!
     
    (That's one thing Power Ponies deserves credit. At least Spike was treated with some level of respect, as the taunting he received was frowned upon in story.)
    The moral itself is fine, but there are plenty of problems.
     
    a. It was told to Spike in the last two minutes. Spike didn't figure it out himself. While it isn't a copy of the morals being executed in Bridle Gossip, Mare Do Well, Spike at Your Service, or Somepony to Watch Over Me (all bad episodes; don't kid yourself otherwise), EG still follows the same method in context.
     
    b. It was shoehorned. While you can relate to him (when bypassing his flanderization mid-episode), the moral itself was very blunt and didn't fit the context of the conflict.
     
    c. Like Feeling Pinkie Keen, the moral was poorly worded.
     
    Don't know what I mean? Here's the moral:
     It's so convoluted, it flows through one ear and out the other, seemingly to fill in script space. If it was something like this:Or this:…then you make the moral a bit clearer. (The third needs a bit more editing to make it more optimistic.)
    At the beginning, several ponies were exercising and lifting weights a few hours before the Equestria Games. This is something you may overlook, but exercising strenuously on the day of the event (particularly a few hours before it starts) can leave you very vulnerable to injury, because your muscles need time to recover.
    The episode not only breaks the promise of expectations for the Equestria Games, but also doesn't hide it. You want to know what I mean? Focus on the title:
     
    Equestria Games.
     
    The purpose of titles is to inform people of not just the setting, but also what the plot will be about. For example:
     
    a. Wonderbolts Academy, Magic Duel, Maud Pie, Apple Family Reunion, Applebuck Season, The Crystal Empire, A Canterlot Wedding, Winter Wrap Up, The Mysterious Mare Do Well: Self-explanatory.
     
    b. Bats!: The plot revolved on the conflict of bats. The exclamation point indicates surprise and how urgent the situation with the bats is.
     
    c. Lesson Zero: Twilight needs a lesson of friendship to write to Celestia, yet doesn't have one.
     
    d. Hurricane Fluttershy: Focuses on Fluttershy, a weather-centered conflict, and a metaphor of Fluttershy's fragile psyche.
     
    e. Green Isn't Your Color: Referencing "green with envy" and the struggle with jealousy.
     
    f. Too Many Pinkie Pies: Pinkie Pie along with "too many," a negative phrase.
     
    g. Rainbow Falls: Two references: the setting and Rainbow Dash's external conflict.
     
    Equestria Games translates to a primary focus on the Games, especially to those who don't review the synopsis or previews. Plenty of bronies watch the episodes blind, and the title indicates a primary focus on the ponified Olympics.
     
    And how can you blame them? For fifteen months and through parts of two seasons, the Equestria Games built up hype and expectations. FOUR episodes prior were heavily dedicated to hyping the Equestria Games. Grandiose, athletic, and full of life. Not everyone watches the Olympics (including me personally), but it doesn't alter the fact how important it really is. The Games are symbolic with people coming from all walks of life; they're important to athletes worldwide because they represent the best in their countries. The Equestria Games was a parody of this and built itself up as something more important and grander than the Grand Galloping Gala.
     
    How? Again, four episodes focused on the preparation for the Equestria Games. Sure, none of them were good (Flight to the Finish the best one; Rainbow Falls easily the worst), but it still doesn't affect the event's importance. DHX and Hasbro promised to the audience that the Equestria Games (one of three overarching plots this season) was worth watching. Not just through web promotions, but also the episodes themselves (as they each held a very heavy focus).
     
    Instead? The overarching plot is a half-assed gimmick for an unnecessary main conflict. This has been a gigantic problem all season: premise over story. CloudCookooCountry's very negative review of EG (and also season 4 collectively) explains this perfectly. EG is shoved in as the premise to create Spike's story, conflict, and moral. You could've used ANY piece of the Games for Spike's story, and it wouldn't change. Hell, Spike's confidence problems could take place ANYWHERE in the canon, and it wouldn't change the story.
     
    Just like several other bad episodes this season like Daring Don't, Power Ponies, Bats!, Rainbow Falls, It Ain't Easy Bein' Breezies, and Trade Ya!, it's as if DHX is focused more on the setting or the premise over the story, characters, and overall conflict. When they have the setting prepared, they have plenty of difficulty what to do with the setting and just plug in the overall narrative with hopes of making it work. Why that's the case, I don't know. Either the writers are experimenting and hoping to succeed, Hasbro is mandating them to introduce wilder and clunkier premises to pander to its older audience, a combination of both, or none of the above.
     
    In what was the series and web promotions hyped for a grand payoff, the conclusion to this arc contributed nothing to the series. It was a trap simply to sucker the audience and achieve high rankings. We won't know the official results until later this week, but just by the weak writing and unfulfillment of expectations, EG feels like an obvious rating's trap. To echo Tommy Oliver: DHX, why the fuck would you hype up the ponified Olympics and spend more quantity of time on it over the Grand Galloping Gala if the Equestria Games DOES — NOTHING?!
     
    Normally, you'd set aside audience expectations and review the quality of the writing itself. But because the build up to the Games's conclusion and expectations are interconnected, it'd be insulting to separate the two. What Equestria Games does is a really big crime in storytelling: build expectations and not capitalize on them. What makes this anomaly stand out more is how these expectations are spat at, as if they mean nothing. That's low. At this point, there are two people to vote "I hated it!" for Equestrian Games; one of them is mine.
     
    And it's a shame, too, because the Games offer SO MUCH to explore. You have various ethnicities, the spirit of friendly rivalry, how sportsmanship affects people in other cultures around Equestria and other countries, the styles of events to parallel the Olympics while blending with the lore of the canon simultaneously, the griffons, the security system beyond being a transparent Chekhov's Gun, and interactions in the stands. All of these are much more interesting than the crap featured in this episode. And as fun as fanfic is, it shouldn't be relied on to fill in the gaps. As cool as Spike is, his conflict and bastardization in the second half are out of place, especially one to last for the entire episode.
     
    And I know a few people will recognize how plenty saw the previews along with the synopses. That still doesn't nullify the lies Equestria Games exhausts.

    There are three overarching plots this season: the six keys/Chest of Harmony, the Castle of the Royal Sisters, and the Equestria Games. The Equestria Games is the focus, and Equestria Games is the self-contained finale of the arc. After fifteen long months, the Games take place…only to have it be a backdrop for Spike. The young dragon's conflict had no business lasting this long, if not at all. At most, it should've lasted before the first act concluded. But it lasted way too long, and the Games were rushed through to reach the contrived climax and poorly executed moral. After enormous build-up through parts of two seasons and heavy promotion, Broken Promise: The Episode is a glaring rating's trap to inorganically shove Spike in the spotlight in an unnecessary setting. You could've had Spike be placed anywhere, and you still would've had the same story. It's an underwhelming conclusion with blatant deception, culminating in an overarching plot that doesn't need to exist. Overall, a terrible episode.
     

     
    Source: S04:E24 - Equestria Games
  4. Dark Qiviut
    That's what I wrote yesterday. Now that it's processed somewhat, let me dissect two storytelling aspects in TSRR: the comedy and the dialogue.
    Even though FIM isn't a comedy show, FIM always has a diet of comedy. Whether the joke works or fails — a.k.a., the objective quality of the joke — depends on the logic behind the joke, the effort put into it, the element of surprise, and not sacrificing the characterization to make it work. In short, your joke must make sense.
    In Saddle Row, a great chunk of the jokes works. Why? Well, let's look at a few of them:
    "NO SPOILERS!" Rarity doesn't want anyone to spoil the review for her. Many of us can relate to her: A good chunk of society doesn't want to be spoiled, whether it's a bit or at all. Personally, even though I don't mind being spoiled, there's one exception for me: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Lastly, the surprise element. Rarity's outburst was sudden, but makes sense under the current circumstances. The snappy dialogue between the J. Jonah Jameson parody and Rarity. He wanted to know everything about how Rarity for You succeeded, but he and Rarity varied in personality. He was quick and wanted to get it done right away, while Rarity wanted to be patient. The interruption was that little click to make the joke work. "DING!" Transition to Twilight. Good opportunity to throw Uncle Charlie in the mix. "Sweep, sweep, sweep." Dusting is tedious, boring, and something all of us wanna avoid. Twilight's little "sweep" jingle fits her character, makes it less boring to her, and corresponds with the party palace in the brownstone's top floor. The Too Many Pinkie Pies reference. Responds to Rarity's scattered wish of having multiple copies of her and that element of surprise after Pinkie ate all those pancakes. Rainbow Dash's imitation of Rarity to the reporter. Dash imitated her friends in Newbie Dash, but it massively failed. Why? Two words: secondhand embarrassment. Dash imitated them, because she was still grieving by the trauma-induced insult and wanted to impress the Wonderbolts. Here, Dash was responding to a stimuli that annoyed her (Rarity's tantrum), and unlike ND, TSRR's tone's very lighthearted. It borrows from Dash's imitation of Twilight from Lost Treasure, but uses the same logic. THIS is how you write an imitation joke correctly! The squirrel waiting in line to enter Rarity for You when it opened. Again, the element of surprise, but consider who's helping to open Rarity for You. Fluttershy is very friendly with the animals and treats them with respect.

     
    Angel!Rarity's halo is literally made of hay. A very excellent pun of the word. Yeah, a couple of them missed the mark, but a lot more didn't. Why is this important? Two things:
    To echo above, The Saddle Row Review is lighthearted in tone. With the light atmosphere, the plot doesn't take itself so seriously that it becomes melodramatic, but the humor quality doesn't make TSRR so pretentious that it becomes a poorly-crafted parody of itself. With the high-quality comedy, the audience can laugh its way through. Even a cringe joke like AJ holding a full dustpan with her mouth doesn't feel gross in hindsight, because it comes across as part of the job. The twist in the format. This whole episode is about a review for Rarity for You's grand opening in Saddle Row (a reference of London's Savile Row; thank @PiratePony for explaining it). If you keep the format the same as it was in every other episode, then you can run into big problems. One of them is the humor's weight. In the traditional format, the humor won't have its impact because the review is the centerpiece, but the review enters very late, so the jokes feel more contrived than organic. By having Rarity read the review, flashback everything, and cut it back as a reality TV parody, you create suspense so when the jokes arrive, they fall right into place and the audience doesn't expect it.

    Furthermore, the cutbacks are a parody of reality TV. In just about every reality show, you see people do things on reality TV (whether it's the "traditional" reality BS or reality game shows like Survivor), but during the middle, they cut back to interviews so the audience is informed about what they're thinking. Normally, reality TV is supposed to be taken seriously. In TSRR, you have the stake of Rarity wanting to open her Manehattan branch by nightfall, but the destination isn't as emphasized as the journey. Almost all the jokes occur during the journey. The destination is the satisfaction that wraps it all up. A lot of media in this series have really, really bad dialogue. I'm talking about Trade Ya!, Rainbow Falls, EQG1, Friendship Games, the Rainbow Dash Micro, A Canterlot Wedding, FIM2, Princess Spike, and McColts. Why is bad dialogue so detrimental? Because it stalls the flow of your story. None of the characters are robots; they're supposed to feel emotions like ours. Great, organic dialogue opens up those emotions and can be as powerful as a set piece. Bad dialogue reduces the character's dimension and makes it appear as if the writer quickly penned the script down to exit writer's block. Bad dialogue lacks any polish and can ruin the story.
    Saddle Row has easily some of the best dialogue in the series. All of it has a ton of weight put into the episode, even the standard exposition in the prologue. But notice how most of it is very snappy. Quick, not always in complete sentences, pauses here and there, and doesn't stick to one subject. Look at how Dash says one thing and then changes the subject after the reporter writes it in his notebook offscreen. The dialogue also allows the characters to play off one another, like Dash and Applejack commentating on Twilight's "sweep" jingle or the chemistry between the reporter and Rarity. More importantly, snappy dialogue helps carry the story's tone. If each sentence is long, complete, and drawn out, you ruin the joke's timing. Quick, organic talk keeps up the pace without making it feel too fast and opens up lots of opportunities for lots of jokes.
    For a recent example outside of FIM, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has very snappy dialogue. Why does it work? The pacing flows from one scene to another, makes the characters feel more real, opens up opportunities for humor, and creates extra impact on the more serious moments when they arrive.
    In conclusion, The Saddle Row Review works in many levels, especially the humor and dialogue. You can tell a lot of hard work was put into it to make the story succeed. A very bold, successful effort, to be precise. It's unquestionably Nick Confalone's best episode so far and one of the best of the whole show.
    ———
    Source: S06:E09 - The Saddle Row Review
  8. 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.
  9. Dark Qiviut
    The article and her tweet: http://crooksandliars.com/2015/11/judy-millers-despicable-paris-attack-tweet
     
    In case she deletes it, here's her tweet:
     

    …Okay, so let me get this straight. Because terrorists are trying to rip away freedom for oppression, college students (including places like Mizzou, the school she references) demanding freedom from oppression should stop demanding freedom from oppression.
     
    And she tweeted this as the terrorist attacks were ongoing.
     
    …
     
    …
     
    …
     
    Congratulations. You turned the terrorist attacks into an ad for white supremacy back in the United States. It's one of the most disrespectful responses to tragedy that I've ever seen. How does it feel exploiting every single victim of last night's terrorist attacks?
     
    Then again, since you were one of the propaganda mouthpieces responsible for influencing support of the Iraq invasion, it doesn't surprise me that this attack will influence your ability to show yourself off as a racist bastard.
     
    Excuse me while I throw up.
  10. Dark Qiviut
    After a string of episodes that weren't really objectively terrible, yet not objectively amazing, either, Rarity steps into the spotlight in Rarity Takes Manehattan. While it was referenced in Cutie Mark Chronicles, One Bad Apple, and Apple Family Reunion, it was shown only in TCMC. This marks its first appearance since then, and the scenery is spotlit more. In the first Rarity-centric episode since Sweet & Elite (and first Rarity-centric appearances in the official media since the Rarity micro comic and Nightmare Rarity chapter — each only above-average at best), Polsky delivers.
     
    ———
     
    Strengths:
    Everyone (minus Spike) has a purpose in the story. While not everyone is brim with dialogue, they're not confined as background ponies. They belong and carry an important role in the story. It's especially the case after Rarity finds out Suri Polomare had plagiarized her dress line.
    Suri Polomare (voiced by Tabita St. Germain) is an excellent antagonist. While Rarity's generosity was pushed to the brink before in the form of Suited for Success and Green Isn't Your Color, this is the first time anyone takes advantage of it so maliciously. Suri is every artist's biggest nightmare: a lying, no-good, sleazy plagiarizer, and just about every one has had their work plagiarized before. It's no fun, and Rarity has every right to be pissed.
     
    Suri is written as a lying, manipulative bitch. An anti-Rarity.
     
    Unlike Rarity, whose so many facets create a great character that breaks the snobby fashionista cliché, Suri breaks it, too, by making her so evil. The Diamond Tiara of Rarity, but with extra dimension. (And way more dimension than the generic "character" called Sunset Shimmer.)
    Speaking of Suri, Coco Pommel, her protégé, is just as excellent a foil as Rarity. Unlike Rarity's vast experience, Coco is still grasping of talent and career: designing high-quality dresses within a quick schedule. Like Suri and Rarity, Coco wants to make it in Manehattan, but she's given very bad advice and is commanded all the time. Her will to grow and acknowledgement that Suri is not for her because of her vileness proves how genuinely likeable and well-developed she is, even in her youth. Cathy Weseluck did a fantastic job voice-acting her. I honestly hope she isn't a one-shot, because she has so much potential.
    As a New Yorker, Manehattan really respects the cultures of the city. New York City is a gigantic melting pot of so many cultures in and out of Manhattan. From the popular tourist attractions like Broadway to The Statue of Liberty to Grand Central.
     
    The bridge where the train scuttles past during "Generosity" is possibly one of the following ponifications:
     
    a. Park Avenue Viaduct (connecting both halves of Park Avenue — split by Grand Central).
     
    b. The Manhattan Valley Viaduct (located along 12th Avenue in Manhattanville, before going underground in City College) or northern West Side El (from Inwood’s Dyckman Street to Van Cortlandt Park).
     
    c. The old 3rd Avenue El (an old elevated subway line from the Financial District to Gun Hill in The Bronx. The Manhattan half was demolished in the 1950s (leaving the Lexington Avenue line a victim to an over crowdedness so severe today, the MTA revitalized the constantly delayed 2nd Avenue Subway project; the Bronx portion was closed and later torn down in the 1970s; it was replaced by the Bx55 Limited, which is now the Bx15 Limited).
     
    d. The Metro-North Railroad viaduct (along Park Avenue from 97th Street to the bridge in East Harlem before the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines split The Bronx’s Mott Haven).]
     
    The big bridge crossing from the mainland to Manehattan is likely a reference of the Brooklyn Bridge or Verrazano Narrows Bridge.
     
    (None of the pics/clips are mine.)
     
    While it's mostly fixated in Midtown/Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, and the Financial District, the multitude of cultures and classes make the city so grand, from Greenwich Village to Harlem to Flushing to Pelham Bay/Orchard Beach to Coney Island to Richmondtown to Corona to Riverdale and so on. If the team ever revisits Manehattan, I'd love to see them reference the other neighborhoods, especially from the outer boroughs and suburbs.
    Albeit referencing more of the upper-middle-class and upper class parts of Manehattan, it shows the respect and hustle of the city. As a New Yorker, I've seen a lot of people mumble and grumble over it, including the long waits for a cab.
    As a character, Rarity is significantly balanced. There are so many little facets that make her so endearing and complex. RTM takes full advantage of it, from teasing Spike to showing her generosity to the bell hopper, taxi driver, and fellow tourists. She overly dramatized, loved for her friends, wanted to one-up Suri no matter the cost, and realized her crimes in friendship.
     
    Her best moment: the reprise and walking in Manehattan in the storm with nothing to cover her. While she covered herself with a newspaper earlier, she didn't here. That showed how much she grew over the past three-plus seasons, from being pissed off by just touching the mud to taking part in the Sisterhooves Social after being responsible for the strain she caused with Sweetie Belle to worrying more about her friends instead of her vanity. Although her vanity, selfishness, and greed aren't going to go away in a snap, her other qualities shone.
    As for "Generosity," its initial tune really captures the Mane Six's joyous, hopeful spirit. They visit the city, and they're excited and hopeful. Its tone is very upbeat and Broadway-like. With a wide vocabulary and good composition, it foreshadows Suri's plagiarism later on. Conversely, it tells Rarity's element a bit too much, and its lack of catchiness doesn't help.
     
    This is why her reprise works better. It shows the consequences of her actions via the mood of Manehattan, somber score, Rarity's lack of care for herself, Kazumi Evans's sorrowful voice, and subtlety in the lyrics.
    While there is plenty of comedy, it isn't as zany as the other stories Polsky wrote. Even in Too Many Pinkie Pies, his darkest story, his comedy was abundant. The slapstick is much more toned down in exchange for something more serious. According to Polsky, it was a completely different direction compared to his initial concept.
     
    Suffice it to say, RTM's is among the deepest in this series, and Polsky shows his wide talent range. If he wrote RTM similar to his other episodes, the mood would've been way too inappropriate, and all that potential would've been lost.
    One of the biggest criticisms this season — the pace — is all but nonexistent. While there are perhaps a couple of moments where the pace speeds a tad too quickly, it isn't jarring. There is plenty of material to cover, but it flows so fluently, each sequence feels organic. To make it better, unlike PTS, DD, and PoP, the episode has many moments to relax and collect itself without failure.
    While we don't actually see Suri's consequences (i.e., her reaction to being lost and Coco Pommel quitting), doing so would've sensationalized the moral and perhaps make Rarity the bad mare. Because she didn't give a damn about the fashion contest anymore and instead treated her friends to an exclusive performance of the Bridleway musical, Hinny of the Hills, she shows her worth by that alone. Coco sees this, too, and her conversation with Rarity (along with presenting the trophy and gift to Rarity and being the one to design the costumes for the next show) presents good karma. Whether Suri will ever learn her lesson or not, I don't know.
    The morals aren't shoehorned. They're reinforced with each action and consequence, along with the thorough characterizations and goals from the Mane Six, Suri, Coco, and Prim Hemline.
    As a big bonus, RTM actually feels like a community and helps complete the atmosphere. There are so many ponies, both new and reoccurring, appearing here, making Manehattan feel alive. This is something Friendship Is Magic needs: the community interacting with each moment. It's been absent for most of Season 4, leaving a very wide gap that gives the canon life. More interaction with the background ponies, the more complete the canon becomes.
     
    BTW, kudos to the team for plugging in Sapphire Shores, Hoity Toity, Photo Finish, Fancy Pants, and Fleur de Lis!

    Weaknesses:
    Spike's role as background comic relief is too old and tiring. After Power Ponies, the development he receives is tossed away. Heck, throughout Season 4, he's basically there just for the audience to laugh, and that marginalizes his character.
     
    Like what I wrote in my Castle Mane-ia review, lay off the Spikabuse, pleeeeeeeease.
    The Grumpy Cat meme is forced and distracting; the criticisms are completely justified. Two key reasons why (one related to the story, the other not).
     
    a. The meme is taken straight out of the Internet and plastered onto the flank as a cutie mark. No ponification. No effort to blend it into the scene. It's the actual face of the meme as a cutie mark. It sticks out way too much and is too in-your-face. It's not like Chanel, Derpy, The Big Lebowski, the Nyan Dash, or Sweetie Bot (in Equestria Girls), as they are blended into the canon.
     
    If you're going to reference a well-known meme like the Grumpy Cat, show some effort by blending it into the canon and ponifying it. Don't rip it off and make people wonder if the artists lack the creativity to include interesting background ponies and organically blend pop culture simultaneously.
     
    b. Instead of letting the previews and writing attract the older and computer-savvy demographics, The Hub is trying to appease them by advertising the episode via a pony with a ripped off meme. Inadvertently, The Hub left RTM with a very bad first impression and made your general audience wonder if it was actually well thought-out and written well, even if for a split second.
     
    Hub, don't pull this stupid stunt again.
    "Generosity" (not the reprise) tells too much and hammers Rarity's element excessively. Combined with it not exactly being catchy, it hurts the song and messages Polsky and Ingram relay. It's good for other reasons (a couple being very well-scored with a strong vocabulary), yet somewhat forgettable.
     
    It's compared to The Smile Song in one way. Like TSS, Generosity is a character exposition song. However, there are some differences.
     
    a. While The Smile Song tells a lot, it's counterbalanced by some very catchy lyrics and a very bouncy score that gets the audience pumped and excited. When it's very catchy, it's very memorable, and The Smile Song works to its advantage partially by the bouncy, upbeat score.
     
    Generosity, on the other hand, is actually quite tame, and that works to its disadvantage. While it also catches the urban, upbeat tune of the city, it doesn't have the giddy bounciness that The Smile Song has.
     
    b. As far as The Smile Song's musical is concerned, you see Pinkie using smaller measures to make her friends happy, but with each lyric, Ponyville catches its happiness, and it became bigger and bigger. Soon, Pinkie Pie's song and ability to make others smile affects everyone.
     
    Generosity, conversely, doesn't do that. While the generosity starts small and ends up with Pinkie and Applejack helping, you don't get to see the results until after it ends. Although it works from a storytelling perspective, it falls flat when self-contained.
     
    Also, Rarity's element works much better when it's a bit more subtle or really demonstrated, as Rarity is a complex character. What she did and sung aren't out of character, but it doesn't fully work for a character whose qualities and characterization are more about showing her rewards and consequences rather than telling everyone who she is and can be, something Art of the Dress and the reprise succeed. Combined with the self-contained rewards being absent and delivery of her messages like a carpenter nailing a wall with a hammer, it doesn't give what she did as much justice in the beginning as hoped.
     
    Generosity isn't a bad song, but it doesn't have that oomph. More show, less tell.
    Twilight is an alicorn princess (and there are only four, all royalty, discounting the animation hiccups), and in a city as big as Manehattan — with all of the tabloids, business of the city, and how the Twilicorn was gigantic news in Equestria entirely — surely Twilight will be more recognizable than Mayor Bloomberg.
     
    While her status shouldn’t be so glorified that Rarity's focus is stolen, at least give her status some recognition (i.e., a taxi colt telling Twilight crossly, “Back of the line, Princess!”). Ignoring it ages Magical Mystery Cure more and more and disserves her growth.
    Pinkie, you left your brain at Sugarcube Corner. Please retrieve it the next time Rarity displays tickets. (Thank Luna Rarity interrupted her.)
    The timeline gets lost, demonstrating some issues with the pacing. The script constantly reminds the viewer the whole event was "Fashion Week." In other words, the contest and results should occur from one end of the week to the next. Usually, it's seven days (or five, if confined to only the weekdays). Instead, we only see the first three days and never witness the rest of the week. Whether it's because they were perceived to be irrelevant or not, I don't know. It would look much better if RTM shows more of Fashion Week beyond just the contest.

    Despite the annoyances, the rest of the episode is very well written, and they don't diminish the overall quality significantly. Polsky and crew carefully researched Manhattan to make sure it replicates the real life's atmosphere organically and tastefully. Instead of it being contrived, Manehattan's overall design feels like it belongs: industrialized to a point, yet not abandoning its simplified roots.
     
    In a fresh twist, Polsky trades his usual slapstick comedy for a more down-to-earth, slice-of-life, serious character study, giving him the opportunity to explore Rarity's actions in response to being plagiarized and shortsighted (yet extremely justified and believable) ambition to one-up Suri and claim the top prize. Combined with a solid pace, excellent writing, and fantastic characterization of Suri, Coco, and Rarity, Polsky executes easily not just his best episode to date, but also Season 4's best episode thus far. Rarity Takes Manehattan is a clear home run.
     
    ———
     
    Source: S04:E08 - Rarity Takes Manehattan
  11. Dark Qiviut
    A few months ago, I said I was packing to leave because of the culture of abuse plaguing behind the scenes. I had been preparing to leave, but as the abusive guard left their posts or departed from the site, my plans halted. For the past two weeks, I have been visiting this forum more and more. Today, I'm giving this place one more chance. This place has been an online home for me for far too long, and I'm not gonna jump ship yet.
     
    Now, I'm going to repeat what I wrote in that blog here. Poniverse (specifically, much of the old guard), your actions were absolutely reprehensible. They breach fandom and affect real life. To call it an "internal matter" suggests you have something to hide. You were a lawsuit waiting to happen. The lack of transparency makes it impossible for me to trust the administration as a whole. "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" applies here. Poniverse, even though the old guard's gone, hold yourself accountable, or another exodus will likely happen again. This time, I won't stick around.
  13. Dark Qiviut
    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/them-s-fightin-herds
     
    All aboard the hype train!
     
    If you wish to pitch in some more to get to the stretch goals (including Mac/Linux access and a new character), feel free to do so. If you can't, feel free to spread the message so others can help donate.
     
    In the meantime, to the people, bronies and non-, who donated to make this game happen:
     

  15. Dark Qiviut
    For the past two weeks, I've churned out four brony-centric blogs, all very long and rather deep. As a fellow brony who's been seeing some discriminatory brony-bashing as well as annoying dismissals as MLP:FIM being a show "for [little] girls," I feel like I have to show my love as being one in the method I do best: editorial or essay writing. Present pro-brony arguments and demonstrate why being a brony is great.
     
    These are my four pro-brony writings that I've submitted (from earliest date to latest date).
    MLP:FIM Returns the Franchise Where It Belongs: Back to Its Roots — My earliest submission, dated December 2. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and the franchise altogether is misconstrued as a show targeted exclusively little girls. However, this essay shows why My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, along with its roots dated back to the early-1980s, is truly an age- and gender-neutral, where it belongs.
    We Bronies Dissect the Show, and It's Grrrreat! — Posted December 10. One unique part of the brony fandom is how we dissect the show and their episodes from its overall premise to its little detail in Rarity's shopping bag. It's sometimes dismissed as over-analyzing or overly critical, but the fact that we bronies analyze these shows to a fault represents how much we care about it. This essay explains why we analyze and why it's important doing so, even if to a fault.
    A Response to "Outsider" Bronies — Posted December 12. This editorial is my most personal of all of the brony essays. It's a response to the "bronies" who feel like they don't belong to the community and why they should love the community rather than bash it and the bronies themselves.
    Bronies and the Explosion of Great Art — Posted December 14. The longest of the essays, at over 12,000 characters. The brony fandom is full of fantastically talented people. Here, I explain why the brony fandom has such an influx of great art every day and how anyone can jump right in and join the fun.

    Now I'm here to ask you which one of these four do you like most. This one will be a little difficult because of each one's specific length.
     
    If you desire, please explain why you chose. (Be advised that any comments by non-mods are still under moderation. As long as it follows the rules of the forum and doesn't devolve into bashing or negatively generalizing bronies or the community [even subtly], I'll approve them for public viewing.)
  16. 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.
  17. Dark Qiviut
    When Discovery Family doesn't show a teaser at any point throughout the week, that proves a complete lack of confidence they had for it. Even Appleoosa's Most Wanted had a teaser.

    After torturing myself to finish Act 1, I can see why. Besides all of the unnecessary exposition, the annoyances Spike had to deal with were incredibly painful to sit through. Rather than have the conflict flow naturally, contrived cartoon logic creates a ton of nuisances just to make Spike's assignment more difficult. Every joke fails because Spike is just trying to do his job. Spike has been a stagnant butt of jokes for five seasons now! Jesus Christ, can we actually have another Spike episode that treats his character with some level of RESPECT?!

    I prefer to watch an episode and feel bored than watch an episode and cringe at so-called "humor." At least if I feel bored, I can watch the episode and catch some extra shuteye. I can't muster any strength to watch the next two acts because the stupidity grates my ears.


     
    Source: S05:E10 - Princess Spike
  18. Dark Qiviut
    It's the same old. Another blog from me bitching about Nickelodeon's Breadwinners, a show worse than Sanjay & Craig, Fanboy & Chum Chum, and current Spongebob.
     
    Last year, I went on a tirade about why that show is so terrible. The animation and characters are just terrible. The humor and stories are even worse, relying a lot on butts (including twerking) and stereotypes. It's honestly baffling that Breadwinners has any support and remains on the air.
     
    In my rant last year, I ranted about Love Loaf:
     
    But lately, I thought about Love Loaf, and it hit me. This episode is even creepier than I thought.
     
    SwaySway is in love with Jenny Quackles. He finds a love loaf that will make any duck fall in love with the first thing he or she sees. This gives SwaySway (who's a good guy) the idea he could force Jenny to eat a part of the loaf, marry her, and have ducklings.
     
    Yeah, there's a term for this. It's called rape. And it wasn't subtle, either. It was stated without actually stating the word.
     
    It can't get any creepier, right? Yeah, it can.
     
    From my plot summary:
    Jenny is in summer camp and isn't a camp counselor. She's just as much a kid as the other girls in the camp.
     
    Yeah, "kid." Jenny is an underage duck!!!
     
    SwaySway — an adult duck — is in love with a minor. With the love loaf in his hands, he hopes this underage duck eats the loaf so she falls in love with him. That way, he can marry her, molest her, and start a family with her as his wife and caregiver.
     
    Not only is this "episode" terrible on a technical level. It's morally SICK!!!! The entire plot being a molestation joke is disgusting enough. What makes this more repulsive is the fact that this joke is written for a show rated TV-Y7. Yeah, a cartoon that's supposed to be suitable for kids.
     
    Seriously, who would want to write something that's so DISRESPECTFUL to EVERY victim/survivor of rape and child molestation?! Y7 rating or not, you DON'T write these jokes. EVER! They're disgusting, and those writers should feel awful for coming up with something as demented as a humor-based plot based on this topic.
     
    Why the FUCK is this abomination of a show even on the air, anyway? Because Nickelodeon doesn't get kids, believes parents will let their kids watch whatever is plastered on the screen regardless of parental quality control, and doesn't give a crap about quality! That's why! I mean, Nick got away extremely gross closeups of Spongebob's face, a closeup of Spongebob's infected thumb in The Splinter, and a whole episode dedicated to driving Plankton to attempt suicide (using realistic approaches, I might add) as a joke. A whole show centered on disgusting fart jokes like Sanjay and Craig is gross enough, but at least the jokes are merely stupid.
     
    Breadwinners is a show based off "ducks" that embrace and say "Racist stereotypes, twerking, obnoxious protagonists, useless butt jokes, and child molestation jokes are a-okay for your kids!" Breadwinners doesn't deserve to exist, doesn't deserve the high ratings, doesn't deserve to be renewed for a second season, and should be pulled off the air and burned for good.
     
    Now, excuse me while I throw up…
  19. Dark Qiviut
    This was a hell of a lot better than I expected.
    Everything Twilight did to desperately try and fix everything makes so much sense. She tries to fight Starlight mentally and physically, but SG was so hellbent on revenge and the pain of her past, she'd do everything she can to stop it. Don't look at the fact that SG lost her only friend as the cause. Look at how she lost him. The second he got his mark, she never saw him again. In other words, if he never got that mark, everything will be completely different. She'd still be home. Sunburst won't go off to Canterlot. They'd still know each other. No cutie mark, no memories of her past.
     
    Like that, her actions, as evil as they were, feel plausible. Without the pain of individual cutie marks, then no one would have to feel the same pain as she did. No wonder why she concocted the spell of the equality mark. There are two great morals to the story.
     
    a. You can never change your past. You can only change your future. Starlight can't change what happened with her in the past, and thus she can't inflict the same pain on Twilight. But she can change how she goes about things. Restart viewing cutie marks and friendship altogether in a much more positive light and use it for good.
     
    b. One moment makes a difference. This calls back to a similar moral from Amending Fences: You might see the moment as inconsequential, but to others, it can make a really big impact for better or for worse. Twilight's decision to skip Moondancer's party helped change her for the better, but it changed MD for the worst. For Starlight, it's the same thing. Her one moment back home makes a big impact on her life, but she was so hellbent on revenge that she never stopped to think about how the one moment from Rainbow Dash changed everyone's lives around them. It'd make everyone's lives miserable, even herself. The way it ended may be a little cheesy, but it's the good kind. Starlight assumes that by changing the way the Mane Six would meet, Starlight won't have to have her village collapse. But she never foresaw how it'd hurt her, either. The only way for her to actually see it is to take Starlight to an apocalyptic future and then use this and how Starlight grew to being the mare she was to try to change her for the better.
     
    What happens here is way more fulfilling than Sunset Shimmer's. Sunset's whole character was reset, and you saw her redeem herself as a completely different character. Starlight never changed her character. Instead, she was convinced, and she willingly accepted Twilight's apprenticeship. As a result, Starlight's addition to the Mane Six (now Mane Seven or Mane Eight, if you count Spike) feels more genuine.

    I'll need another viewing to gauge its quality, but right now, I'm loving The Cutie Re-Mark.
     

     
    Source: S05:E25+26 - The Cutie Re-Mark
  20. Dark Qiviut
    As a long-time Thomas & Friends fan, there are a barrage of great characters, some of whom haven't been explored so much.
     
    It looks like one classic character will get some screentime: Toby's coach, Henrietta.
     
    So what will take some getting used to? Click the spoiler.
     
     
     
     
    And have a look at a Series 18 clip, the episode being "Not So Slow Coaches."
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7b4OFJxi34
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