Wind Chaser

I think the lower level of the conflict worked to the episode's advantage. Sure all these Crusader episodes were leading up to something, but I don't think we were led to reasonably believe this was going to be that one. It's great for this moment to have struck them when they least expected it, and for the conflict not to be contrived into something absolutely huge just because. They didn't intend for this to be that moment, and it turned out to be.

It didn't have to be epic, because it's the Crusaders, doing Crusader things, and finding out they were so good at something they just began to realize they were amazing at. It's fitting an episode that starts so typical and innocuous ends up with such an epic finale. They're not the Mane 6. Let their moment be different.

nice b8 m8

Surprised hasn't brohoofed this yet.

I plan on doing my own version of such a list soon.

I do have one new interesting theory on "Princess Spike", however. Even though Spike is made out to be a fool, and probably no one's aware of this, Spike's abuse of power is justified payback for the summit ponies flaunting their importance in front of Spike's lack of status.

This wouldn't save the episode, seeing as how everyone seems to miss this, but it makes it much more palatable thinking "These SoB's had it coming!" instead of "Spike can't do anything right!" while watching the episode.

I'd still say it's better than Season 4. Season 4 was the most inconsistent season, featuring some of the best and worst portrayals of the show's characters and simultaneously taking the show's continuity forward while many episodes stayed safe by not affecting continuity and adhering to old formula. There were constant writing trends that affected multiple episodes, even good ones (poor Spike characterization, Mane 6 shoehorning/Flanderization, mindless comedy superceding morals, etc). Season 5 seems to try to avoid getting into trends like this, part of that has to do with new themes and transitioning the roles of the characters.

I'm surprised you didn't mention "the students finally become the teachers" as a positive for this season. We've gotten to see new characters and locations as a result, and this led to the more mature morals, all of which keep the show from creatively stagnating. This is what should have happened in Season 4, as Twilight's transformation in "Magical Mystery Cure" was symbolic of, however we had to wait an entire season for the rest of the Mane 6 to be elevated to a role putting them on more equal ground with Twilight, symbolically done with the creation of the castle in "Twilight's Kingdom". After a season of dipping in and out of exploring the characters' new roles, the show is finally getting more serious about it.

Coincidentally, "Tanks for the Memories" seems more like an out-of-place Season 1 episode now, and that makes it all the worse (nothing against Season 1, but episodes that feel like they belong in previous seasons probably should belong in previous seasons).

Another one for the dA faves.

I've seen reviews of this episode all over, and from what I've seen, it's really divisive. I can see some people defending it, basically saying to "let cartoons be cartoons" and arguing against critics who do what we've seen guys like Tommy Oliver, Digibro, and Chad Rocco do: judging the show by their own high expectations shaped by other works rather than the show's own merits and standards.

However, this episode's ignorant use of a blanket statement and deceptive use of a ratings trap was a giant middle finger to animation enthusiasts and franchise fans by design. The episode gives no consideration to the opposing argument whatsoever, instead resorting to stereotypes to set itself above criticism. In so doing, it pretty much justifies all of the criticism it gets.

I'll give it this: the show knows its place. It knows it's "just a kids' show" and will inevitably go cold one day. However, drawing in adult audiences just to bait-and-switch into a blanket insult at critics is not clever in the slightest. It's immature and unprofessional and does a disservice to shows that have gone above and beyond to make timeless stories that appeal across demographics, in addition to being insulting to the show's audiences, and self-defeating in terms of justifying low quality.

In the end, it's just one stereotype against another stereotype, and I hope the douchey, imbecilic, creatively challenged writers behind this episode are enjoying their little pat on the back in their convincing illusion of cleverness. One day, it will bite them when Teen Titans Go! no longer turns a profit, DC learns not to make the same mistake again, and they more than likely struggle to find work on the next project.

A good article on the episode and what it implies: http://www.toonzone.net/2015/08/do-the-critics-of-teen-titans-go-have-a-point/

Really wish I could've gotten a ride on one of these.

I almost applied to NJT Rail for a job opening, but they have a strict residency requirement.

My personal experience with furries has generally been with using the fandom for an art hobby, rather than fully immersing in the subculture. Anthropomorphic animals have really been a favorite subject of my artwork. They offer a sort of nostalgia and extension of relatable human characteristics (the way I draw them, at least) that few other subjects can. It just shows that everyone's experience is different and there are many ways to enjoy furry fandom.

THIS...IS...JEOPARDY!

You just can't replace that. Glad to see this guy kickin' in such a ripe young age.

If I'm not mistaken, he did the PAX version of Supermarket Sweep as well, another favorite game show of my childhood.

The one thing I have to say on your idea of the Cutie Map, although while I agree it has definitely been underutilized contrary to its setup in the season premiere (which would pretty much be par for the course with story arcs in this show only coming up once or twice, or 6 or 7 times if you're lucky enough to have the key arc), it's been sort of symbolic of a change in this show that reaches into episodes where it's not involved. The Mane 6 have transitioned from students to teachers, (IMO one season too late) moving on from learning the slice-of-life lessons to sharing their experiences with others. This was another one of those episodes, even if the symbolic physical device wasn't there.

I see your point with the other ponies not being friends with Twilight, as it were, but they damn well wanted to be, and in very recent situations, I found myself in the position the three unicorns plus Moondancer found themselves in. It's when you're sure you might be making a strong friendship but end up taking a simple situational rejection like a personal slap to the face. I'm sure that, even if Moondancer wasn't friends with Twilight as it were, Moondancer showed a genuine interest in wanting to make a connection with Twilight and had genuine admiration for her in shared talents, interest, personality, etc. The same thing I see in many of my friends on this site, the real world, and elsewhere on the Internet, and even if I have great, supportive friends, one rejection can really strain that relationship.

You make some very good points about Moondancer's characterization in the episode. Everything about her fixation on Twilight did come off as forced when connections to the backstory are to be made. I mainly criticized Moondancer's implementation into the plotline as another obvious Twilight foil (the fourth one in the show). All of these characterization flaws seem to be related to the fact that Moondancer was written as a mirror image of Twilight Sparkle, not an independent character in and of herself. I do agree the conflict would have been more believable if it had not been so Twilight-centric, possibly instead casting the other three in a more negative light by adding more backstory or developing more traits for Moondancer than to just be another extreme mirror image of Twilight.

I do appreciate the story's premise, roots in continuity, and relatability that I've found even through these continuity gaps and Moondancer's characterization issues. In tone, the episode handled itself well, unlike weaker episodes that don't take their issues seriously enough. Even though Moondancer was a thin character, I still felt for her because I projected my own experiences onto that conflict.

It's good to read reviews like this to open up to things I may not have picked up on in my own viewings of the episode.

2010 had nothing on this. I'm glad to see you had such a great time there.

And I thought they fired the ad agency that created him...

Still not as bad as KFC ads, though.

This is an amazing idea and much, much better than your last video on Spike. It's a more fair take on both the positive and negative of Spike's past portrayals, acknowledging that there is a lot to this character left unexplored. It's only right that Spike gets his due, seeing as how Twilight was promoted between seasons 3 and 4 and the remainder of the Mane 6 were promoted from student to teacher from seasons 4 to 5. The Crusaders also seemed to have been coming along, taking on different morals that addressed different aspects of their personalities, despite making seemingly little progress towards earning their cutie marks. Seeing as how Spike and the Crusaders are at a similar crossroads of trying to move up but not succeeding all that much, this seems like the perfect combination.

I like the idea that all those years of working with Twilight were actually building up to something, in that her aspirational traits and leadership skills were actually rubbing off on him, even though faulty writing in the show did a poor job of acknowledging it.

I was not a fan of "Spike at Your Service" for its reliance on a cliched plot and a forced device, but if this kind of development were to be implemented onto his character, it would actually make that particular episode look even better in retrospect. Its portrayal of Spike going through a very Crusader-esque conflict of trying to find his place by being something he isn't would be more evident in making the endgame more apparent, rather than looking like another slice-of-life plot thrown away as inconsequential if Spike's character continues to stagnate.

It's great to see a potential Spike theory consider both the positive and the negative in his past and suggest a direction that would be beneficial to his role in the show in the long run.

I found their CDL training option very attractive, but unfortunately I have to stay in my state.

This may be the most legitimate reason for hating this episode I've seen so far. This is every part like a bad Season 4 episode - Spike being punished even when he's not doing anything wrong, being made to screw up regardless of whether or not he was trying to, and taking the fall for others (though I personally wouldn't put Twilight at any fault for it; she legitimately needed rest). Not to mention Equestria being overtly dependent on the Princesses to do all the thinking and decision making for them and the episode not taking Spike seriously in the slightest, except when he's getting slapped back in line.

I definitely agree that I nearly gave up on Spike as a character there, feeling as if the writers aren't even trying with him anymore. However, I'm still giving them more chances and I won't let that ruin the show just yet. I'd stay tuned to see if they can keep the rest of the season up to par.

I disagree with your analysis here. Secret of My Excess was about greed. Just For Sidekicks was about him being dishonest and using others for his own gain. Princess Spike is about him becoming corrupted by absolute power (in the spirit of the old Lord Acton quote).

Greed, also known as avarice, cupidity, or covetousness, is the inordinate desire to possess wealth, goods, or objects of abstract value with the intention to keep it for one's self, far beyond the dictates of basic survival and comfort.

They're all pretty much the same thing at core. He wanted different things but one thing was common: they were all beyond his means and yet they were all still for himself. Like I said, same song, different verse. Try to convince me his extortion of gifts in "Secret of My Excess" was not in any way like the way he tried to rip ponies off in "Just for Sidekicks" using illegitimate business, or satiate his own lust for power in "Princess Spike" using illegitimate authority, with the exception of Spike just coming up with a new gimmick every time. Power was just nothing but another object of his lust.

 

 

I completely disagree that Spike learns the same lesson over and over again. Could you cite the episodes in which he learns the same moral as another episode? 

 

"Secret of My Excess", "Just for Sidekicks", and "Princess Spike" are all about his greed leading him to snowball one honest duty into a selfish quest for money or power. "Owl's Well that Ends Well" is more about jealousy, but the same base plot.

"Power Ponies" and "Equestria Games" are both about Spike having low self-esteem from realizing just how much of a dunce he can be at times, and then getting a bone thrown at him when he gets a once-in-a-while chance to save the day, only for him to revert into being a hapless mess again in the next episode.

Spike suffers from a serious Peter Pan syndrome where he has up days and down days but seems to have lost all common sense and impulse control. It's the same song, different verse every time, except for "Dragon Quest", the most recent time they treated him like a growing character who actually considers things in his life other than how much he can satiate his inflated ego, or bring it back up from being completely deflated.

There is next to nothing to like about Spike as a character anymore, and virtually no maturity whatsoever displayed in his episodes. There haven't been enough positive portrayals of Spike as a character to sufficiently balance out his negative traits in about 3 seasons, and the overall reliance on virtually the same plotline every single time his name comes up really makes the show and his character look stagnant. He learns absolutely nothing whatsoever and nothing changes about him, and the writers squander just about every other potential plotline he could drive by resorting to the same one or two character flaws every time.

If Spike really was a more interesting character already, the writers would have explored more of it. But I at the very least find a character whose only purpose is to learn the same moral over and over again with little to no variation or acknowledgement of other character traits to be incredibly unrealistic. What if every Rainbow Dash episode had been a "Mare-Do-Well" rehash about her arrogance rather than her loyalty, friendship, even the way she learns as in "Testing Testing 123"? There would be little left to enjoy about the character unless she was taken out of canon. What if your only personality trait was the same? You wouldn't be an interesting person or have any friends, would you? That's where Spike is now.

Going back on one or two morals is fine if the character had more to them, but when all the character does is learn the same two morals every single time, it goes to look like a creative get-out-of-jail-free card for the writers, and that's where their effort and the ability of Spike to carry episodes on a show full of actively developing characters comes into question.

There's a line between a realistic level of Aesop Amnesia, and the point where it becomes the sole defining trait of the character. He definitely crossed it.

I'll admit I was not a fan of the idea of a fanservice episode throwing jokes over the heads of some members of the audience, directly at the bronies. That's what fan animations are for, and at points in the episode I was convinced I was watching a fan animation with a budget. However, the absolute self-awareness this script shows in its brand of humor in between all the pandering is really what made it work. Only a successful show like MLP could have possibly pulled something like this off.

Gummy's internal monologue, the "spy" angle being used to justify Bon Bon's name change, and actually using Steven Magnet's name (a name which came from a bad YouTube caption) came as the biggest surprises to me. The best way a comedy can work is through the element of surprise, which is why those elements really appealed to me more than Bon Bon and Lyra, Doctor and Derpy, Vinyl and Octavia, etc.

I very much agree with the moral being a highlight of the episode. It's often overlooked that this episode actually had a plot under all that fanservice and comedy, and this particular moral is really something the show had actually failed at delivering on past occasions ("Twilight's Kingdom" and "Bloom and Gloom"). I like your take on it being a message for the fanbase.

Overall, I'm not into fan pandering, but the meta humor was enough to make the episode very much bearable. The show was basically making a parody of itself, and it really should be encouraged for the show to keep trying new things no matter how radical the ideas may be, if they work just as well in the context of the show.

Another great post. I had no idea the circus train was that long, or that they ever used Amtrak electric power to pull it.

I really feel that number scores, although an easy way to remember a review, are an oversimplification of the content of the review and its subject. Among fandom reviewers, I more favor Strebiskunk's style of summing up all of the positives and the negatives at the end.

Great post. I vacation in Orlando a lot, so I'm used to seeing these things.

Rarity's ability to find gems is arguably similar, but they never did an episode about that. I think the only time it really came up outside of "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" was "A Dog and Pony Show". Maybe you could loosely consider "Dog", but it wasn't Rarity's talent that saved the day.

These connections are interesting, but I think the Sonic Rainboom was really much more pertinent to the overall continuity, given that it gave the Mane 6 their cutie marks and is shown to be one of her signature moves.

The Mane 6 being home to the ponies that have strange abilities like this seems to cement the fact that they're more than average ponies, and that they were destined to do great things for Equestria. All six of them getting their cutie marks at the same time seems to support that, and off of one of these aforementioned talents, no less. Twilight was left out because she already had expansive talents and abilities, and also the potential for more, and for Applejack, her family and her personality mean more than any physical attribute.

Otherwise, I'd think these were three random episodes that just happened to be similar to each other and no one really thought about the connection until you did 4 years later.

$6 gets you unlimited rides up and down the Strip all day. However, the place I stayed at was closer to the Monorail, so we took that instead. Anyways, another great post. Those gold buses are iconic to me.