Thrond

Cozy Glow seems genuinely sincere here. Aside from mistaking Twilight's cutie mark for "control," all of the hints to her true personality are really subtle; at times she seems faintly manipulative, but it seems to me like she really did care about the CMC. I'm not entirely sure what her game is in this episode. There's an alternate universe where her power-hungry attitude was slowly eroded by the school until she learned what friendship was really about. Then we wouldn't get some of the best episodes of season 9 though... You can see for a brief moment that Twilight is genuinely sad to tell the CMC to stay away. She doesn't know what they actually did for Cozy, and she was already a little frustrated with them after they kept making a fuss about joining the school. And yet, I wonder if she would cut them more slack if she didn't have to consider what was best for the school. It also leaves room for the best scene Starlight Glimmer ever got. The school has been so good to her that I can barely imagine her without it anymore. Also, the mane six's classes seem pretty cool; contrast these with what they were trying to do in the premiere, and the new classes just seem so much more natural. There are a lot of episodes this season which use the school gimmick to great effect, but this has a good claim to being the absolute best of them; this episode would absolutely not be possible before this season. The high points of season 8 are so fresh that I would have happily watched a whole show at that level of quality.

I liked this even more the second time. Not a whole lot new to say; I just find Spike's crazy dragon puberty really amusing, and Rarity shouting because she's been temporarily deafened never got old to me. Main difference this time around is that I'm a little less annoyed with the roc attack at the end. Having Spike's successful journey through dragon puberty culminate in a spectacular act of heroism just seems kinda cheesy to me, but there's still a ton of great gags there. A small thing I especially loved this time is that both Rarity and Twilight individually went to get something for Spike's scale itch; even before they say it out loud, we see how much they care about him. I can't really relate to Spike's fear that all of his pony friends will magically stop wanting him around because of the Molt, though; Smolder had basically said it was because of the smell, and it seems to me that after Spike got his wings, the smell was gone. I guess he got distracted and didn't notice. I still wish Spike had spent more time with the rest of the mane six, as Pinkie's cameos here are really promising for what a Spike+Pinkie team-up could have been like. I could not begin to tell you what she thought about Spike's stench; she didn't really seem bothered by it like Zecora or Rarity. Also, she must have noticed that Spike was itchy. Did she go to Zecora's as well? It would be funny if Spike & co. just ran into her on the way back. Also, I just like having Zecora around. Her rhyming is fun.

Look, I know. I know friendship seems like a weird thing to teach in a school. I know it's weird that the mane six are teaching when they have other jobs. I know that some of Neighsay's points are accurate. I know that a good quarter of this is exposition. But I truly, truly love this mess. I love seeing the mane six stand up against racism, xenophobia, and ethnic nationalism. I love how the students bond over skipping classes. I love how Twilight ditches the EEA's corrupt old rulebook in favour of a radical ethos of trust and compassion. And it's also so funny, and has one of the best songs to come from this show in some time, and the story seems built from the characters just as much as from the story. This is as close as the show has come to a reboot, and not coincidentally, it's the closest the new writing crew ever came to reconciling their vision with the show with characters and a setting derived from an older one. I think this is wonderful, even with all its imperfections. Other thoughts: It's a shame how this season turned out, but what we see here is the mane six filling adult roles and dealing with adult anxieties. Of course that was never sustainable in a children's show... but it's still disappointing. Starlight isn't stealing the spotlight here because it makes sense why Twilight's friends wouldn't do the same. They had complained about the rulebook earlier, but they also wanted to comfort her. Meanwhile, Starlight is kind of a jerk, so she didn't even hesitate to rudely tell Twilight what she should have done. That is a role that nobody else could fill. That is the role that feels right for her. Twilight's excitement over writing the rulebook is soooooo Twilight. Dragons and yaks share a mutual love of breaking things. Watching the references to the movie early on reminded me how much slavery was in the movie. What a mess that was. Thorax being friendly is adorable. This show needed more Thorax. I liked how Ember got suspicious of him, and all he had to say was "but we're friends."

Didn't like this one as much the second time. I still love the premise: the effects of Swamp Fever are way more disturbing than if it just killed its victims, and I think this does a great job of making Fluttershy's mistakes not only understandable but in some ways even admirable. And Mage Meadowbrook's story was always one of my favourites of the Pillars, if only because it's slightly more personal than the others. But, like way too many episodes in the show's later seasons, this can often feel strained to fit its moral. The biggest problem is Twilight, whose relaxed attitude constantly feels off, as if she doesn't really care about the stakes. Not for one second do I believe that Twilight would be so calm in this situation. I'm glad she gets to be the snarky voice of reason for once, but most of her quips are weirdly inappropriate. Plus a lot of the dialogue is exposition; too much time is spent telling us what happened and what the moral is. Fluttershy is great in this, though; her dedication to saving Zecora is inspiring even though it's misguided, and she even gets some small moments of ego. I still like this one, but it's frustrating in the same way that most season 7 episodes are frustrating.

Calling her "Mi Amore" is clearly a mistake, and makes me think the people writing the episode descriptions did not watch the show. Come to think of it, I'm not exactly sure why her name is spelled "Cadance," when that word would usually be spelled "cadence." I think Cadance being Celestia's niece is canon, but exactly what that means is unclear - the My Little Pony wiki lists at least two different backstories for her, one from the chapter books and one from the card game. I'm pretty sure the official line is that Celestia adopted her in some way, which is why she's Celestia's "niece," but again, I'm not so sure what that means.

I don't think it's a big thing for the most part, I just found her an uninteresting character who hogged too much screen time, at least in that season. I kinda feel the opposite. Her unique perspective in "Shadow Play" seemed to come at the cost of making everyone else insensitive and thoughtless, whereas in "School Daze" she helps out because she was willing to kick Twilight while she was down instead of comfort her. Alright, alright, I shouldn't have argued semantics, I agree with the point being made.

I like that this is mostly successful in making Discord nice for once without making him any less silly or weird. It's a bummer that he went back to being a jerk after this season. That said, I do think he's still a little tactless in dealing with the shop ponies; does he really need to berate them for not having crazy chaotic things? But the visual comedy is on point from start to finish - as I said, it's proof that a Discord episode can be every bit as funny without him being a jerk. For once, I understand why anyone would want to be friends with him. And Fluttershy being chaotic is adorable, because she's still so polite about it. "Flutter Brutter" was an important turning point for her, and this is one of the few episodes to match that balance of having her be gentle without being timid. The romantic undertones of the ending still gross me out, but this is the one case where I don't think that's reasonable - if Discord had acted like this for the rest of the show, him hooking up with Fluttershy at the end wouldn't have been a problem. It does bum me out that he doesn't interact with the rest of the mane six more often, and is often faintly condescending when he does; his polite interaction with Pinkie Pie here makes me wonder what it would be like if his friendships with them were more like that he has with Fluttershy. Lots of wasted potential with that character.

This episode is so good that its little annoyances bother me all the more. On paper I like how Twilight freaked Starlight out so much that she walks on eggshells around the princess, but her dialogue is incredibly bland. She's a mouthpiece for exposition and that's it; any personality to be seen here is an incredibly watered down version of Twilight's, which by the way is slightly exaggerated in this. And I would have been able to move past the ethical implications of switching cutie marks if the episode hadn't lingered on it, but it lingers on everyone getting upset and then goes out of its way to try justifying what she did. It worked this time, but that doesn't make it okay. With how this episode was set up, I feel a couple lines from the princesses telling Starlight not to do that again would fix that issue pretty easily. Otherwise this was even better the second time. The highlight this time was how sincere both Celestia and Luna were about helping people. And their conversation about pancakes at the end is adorable. Also, I complained in the past that I don't believe Celestia and Luna would turn evil just from arguing, but on second watch I don't think I'm supposed to. Clearly that's Twilight overreacting because she expects them to be perfect, and Starlight turning that into a horrible nightmare because she's crazy. I'm also not convinced that Starlight's nightmare would really be so dangerous, but then again, it's not exactly surprising that she's mentally unstable.

They just slowly accumulated more and more traits until suddenly they were as three-dimensional and relatable as the main characters.

I found her personality really inconsistent and lacking in unique characteristics that season, which I think is a big part of why she was so conspicuous all the time; maybe I wouldn't have spent "Triple Trouble" wishing Twilight was accompanied by someone else if Starlight Glimmer didn't bore me to tears. I felt the mane six lost their edge before Starlight came around, but at worst she could seem like a hodgepodge of traits that should have been allocated to them. "Shadow Play" would still be dubious even if Starlight was more interesting, though.

I actually came in around the end of season 2. Even season 7, where Starlight had the most focus episodes, still focuses on the mane six pretty often; the problems with them in the later seasons aren't because of new characters. But in season 7 especially, I sometimes felt like Starlight was doing things that the mane six should be doing. For example, some people saw Starlight's snarkiness as a refreshing change from the mane six, but it just made me wish the mane six were snarkier. I liked her in certain season 6 episodes and maybe one or two season 7 episodes as well but I found her weirdly inconsistent until the school came around.

I like this but I genuinely think the moral it's trying to tell completely ignores the things that make it so great. I like how the other Wonderbolts seem charmed by Rainbow's parents, because it's a great counterbalance for all the crazy things the parents do. You can tell exactly why Rainbow would be annoyed, but you can also tell that they mean well and aren't bothering anyone else. So why should we judge Rainbow for getting mad? Early on, she tries to ask them to keep it down, and then they don't. Of course she would explode; clearly she's been getting nowhere with them. The parents briefly saying that Rainbow's little private show was "embarrassing," when they clearly loved it, isn't enough, especially it's followed up with Rainbow joining her parents in cheering on Scootaloo. There's so much to like here. Rainbow's parents are lovable, Scootaloo's interactions with them are very cute, and having Scootaloo call Rainbow out is a really smart storytelling decision. Of course Scootaloo, whose parents constantly neglect her, would be envious of Rainbow Dash. But this is the opposite extreme, and if Rainbow's situation is way better than Scootaloo's, it's still clearly not ideal. This episode deserved an ending with the same nuance as everything before it. Other notes: "You had a goal, and... you achieved it!" - Bow Hothoof, expressing exactly the same emotion that I feel about Rainbow's Wonderbolts arc. Given how powerful Scootaloo's role in this is, it's disappointing that they made her home situation seem so... comfortable in "The Last Crusade." Kinda doesn't make sense with "I never thought I'd be the best at anything, because nopony ever told me." I still don't agree that she should have been an orphan, but it's all the more conspicuous that she didn't resent her parents at all. "I love them very much, and we're really close, but there's a reason I didn't tell them I'm a Wonderbolt!" - Rainbow is unusually sensitive in this episode. I think she would have shouted at her parents earlier, but she had to keep telling herself that no, they're being supportive, that's a good thing, right? This episode packs in a lot of nuance for such a one-sided moral.

Maybe Flash Magnus? I find all of the Pillars pretty dull, but he doesn't even have a unique visual design.

Wow, what a blast from the past. I hadn't thought that hard about Starlight in seasons 6 and 7 in a while. I didn't like her in seasons 6 and 7 either, but I think she gets way better in the last two seasons. There's also a lot less of her in seasons 8 and 9, so take that how you will... I don't actually agree with all of your complaints, especially when you use TVTropes buzzwords. I'm not concerned with "power levels," because I don't think that has any impact on the personal stories that this show excelled at. I liked the season 6 finale a lot, because that was based on character development; the mane six's competence in a fight does not interest me at all. And I think the fact that she repeatedly did horrifying things after supposedly being reformed makes it hard to call her a "Mary Sue," though she shouldn't have kept getting away with it; I definitely agree that the whole process should have required more effort from her than it did. My perspective on Starlight's reformation is basically that she genuinely wanted to do the right thing, but something was seriously wrong with her that kept her from understanding what "the right thing" was. I find this show's naiveté pleasant as a form of escapism, but I feel a lot could have been fixed had the show taken her issues more seriously; something was clearly wrong in her brain, and she posed a constant danger to herself and others. The story of Twilight & co. attempting to rehabilitate her could be interesting, but if the show wasn't willing to go all the way with that, maybe it shouldn't have had her do such terrible things. I was never a huge fan of how those characters were developed; to me, it seemed like a poor fit for the show's simple storytelling style, to the point that both of those characters felt incoherent to me at times. They both kept shifting between different modes in a way that always seemed awkward. When I see stuff like this, I'm reminded that there's a whole bunch of people who came to My Little Pony late and don't particularly care about the stuff that attracted me to the show. Here I am, already invested in the mane six, thinking that the show should have developed those characters in new directions instead of just introducing bland new characters while letting the old ones stagnate.

My Little Pony would probably be airing right now if it was still on, which would be nice to have while we're all staying at home. The next season would certainly be delayed, but whatever, there are other things to fill the time. Of course, I think the show ran out of steam years ago, so I'm glad it ended when it did for very different reasons...

I came to like Starlight in the last two seasons, when she seemed to finally have a distinct, stable personality. I like her most when her judgment is just slightly off - she can be weird and sketchy in a way I find really funny, and eventually she stopped doing things that endangered everyone around her, which was a plus. She's still not one of my favourite characters, but she's slightly edgier than the others and I find that refreshing. Trixie and Maud both grew on me significantly in the latter half of the show. Trixie can be kinda annoying, but over time she mellowed out and developed in ways I found endearing. By the end she came across as one of the most well-rounded characters in the show, maybe even on the same level as the mane six. She also has a really funny dynamic with Starlight. Meanwhile, Maud is one of my favourite characters in the show. That might be because she only appeared once or twice a season, so we saw a new side of her every single time she appeared. But she's also just a very unique and fleshed-out character. Thorax was only prominent for a couple seasons so he hasn't accumulated as much nuance as Trixie or Maud, but I've always found him incredibly charming. Sunburst is also charming, but for how close he is to Starlight, he's not actually that prominent in the series. I found his anxiety very sympathetic in the season 6 premiere, but his later appearances don't stand out as much to me. Starlight paired with Discord in the season 6 finale, but I dunno how close they really are. She also convinced Spitfire to help the school in season 8, but I don't know how well they know each other.

If Neighsay works for her, then it's not a free speech issue, it's a matter of policy. If he doesn't work for her, she doesn't have absolute power.

Well, that's mostly what I meant, though let's not forget that Starlight kidnapped and imprisoned the mane six. If she had authority over education in Equestria, she would have gotten rid of Neighsay a long time ago, surely.

That would have to be about Neighsay and his hatred of non-ponies.

That's kinda why my refrain in the later seasons was just that I don't care about the worldbuilding. In season 7 especially I kinda wish they hadn't doubled down on mythology at all; I think the show is weaker for it, not stronger. I have complicated feelings on the topic. I like that specific episode but don't really like how some of the characters turned out. I guess I feel it makes the most of some terrible ideas.

In general, I don't see a show leaving room for imagination as a positive quality; it's neutral at best. I watch shows for the shows, not for inspiration to write my own fiction. This is actually an unusual case, though, because My Little Pony is a toy brand first and a TV cartoon second, so leaving room for kids to make up stories is probably for the best. In that respect my preferences aren't important. Still, I think the vagueness of the show's backstory hurts it when stories rely on that history. I never cared about the Pillars, for instance, because their backstory struck me as uninspired. That stuff needed more flavour rather than more detail, but detail could have at least given me more to chew on. Similarly, the vague backstory of Griffonstone actively hurt the story of the "Lost Treasure of Griffonstone" episode. Without more detail, I found the premise that Griffonstone fell because griffons abandoned friendship difficult to believe. I think "Hearth's Warming Eve" is actually an example where you can work out the broad strokes of what happened, but at the same time I always get distracted wondering exactly what the nature of that play is. That episode isn't an entirely coherent story, and a little more clarity wouldn't ruin the mystery of it. The incoherence is in the way - this show isn't abstract art or pure surrealism, so it ought to be grounded in something. But that story isn't about history in the same way that "Lost Treasure of Griffonstone" and "Shadow Play" are, so it's not a huge deal to me. When the show is mostly about personality and humour, plot deficiencies don't really matter, but it's different when that stuff is in the spotlight.

They're cute. I think we need to remember that Rainbow deliberately avoided telling them about her accomplishments, so we can probably assume the reason they didn't see her much is because that's what Rainbow wanted. The thing about that episode, to me, is that on one hand, it's easy to understand why Rainbow would feel embarrassed by her parents, but it's also clear that they're harmless and not actually bothering anyone. That's what makes it such a great episode. I need to watch it again but my complaint was that the ending is too one-sided; of course Rainbow Dash was wrong to lash out at her parents like that... but that doesn't mean her feelings were invalid, which I'm not sure the episode makes clear enough.

I didn't really mind the weird complexity of Scootaloo's home situation. I found it interesting. Plus it seemed like it was working out for her. I wonder how it developed; maybe the parents had meant to come home more often, and then they just didn't. We know that they came back because they realized they had been neglectful, so it makes sense that they might have been concerned about Scootaloo living on her own but never got around to fixing it. I wonder if the aunts considered moving in with her before, but didn't want to intrude on a situation which seemed like it was mostly working. I was never really invested in Scootaloo being an orphan, first because the fandom had assumed that of every character whose parents had not been introduced, and then later because we already had Apple Bloom to fill that role in the CMC. The result we got - that she had a family who was never around, in contrast to Apple Bloom having no parents but still living with a loving family - was much more compelling to me. The best part of that episode is how it exaggerates that situation: Scootaloo's parents don't just have demanding jobs, they share a crazy, awesome job that requires them to spend all their time on a whole other continent. I found that very amusing. My key gripe with that episode is that Scootaloo doesn't seem to resent her parents for this at all, which I don't think makes sense. She sure does love those parents she never sees and barely hears from. I think showing her feeling that way also would have resolved the inconsistency with "Parental Glideance" - even as is, it's a fact that Scootaloo's parents were never there while Rainbow's were always fawning over her. It would have added a lot more emotional weight to an episode that seemed to go out of its way to avoid anything really thorny. Did that episode really need to mostly consist of the CMC's harebrained schemes? They had to lean on the CMC's weird jobs at Cutie Mark experts because god forbid they try to be thoughtful. This didn't seem like a story where everything should have turned out perfectly for everyone. But I don't recall any sort of hints to her home life or backstory before season 7 or so. For a long time it could have gone in any number of directions, and even in the later seasons nothing implied that her parents were dead, merely that they weren't there for her. And, I mean... they weren't. By the time that episode aired, most of its ideas had already been openly discussed by the staff a long time ago, so I took them for granted. Or maybe I just never got that invested in the CMC, I dunno. I agree that Spike's wings are inconsequential, but I think they got a good story about puberty out of it. That episode definitely had more on its mind than "I dunno, give Spike wings."

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.