OptimisticNeighsayer

Who the hell names their kid "Dishwater Slog" and thinks it's OK?

+ Twilight's character arc was satisfying. Despite being unsympathetic, it was easy to see where she was coming from. And because she did some bad things, getting a bunch of comedy at her expense was quite rewarding, and the same for realizing her terrible mistake. Very likely won't win Trivia Trot, but gets more out of it.

+ Many of the faces were really funny, especially Crazy!Twilight.

+ A lot of really good humor post-TT break.

+ Satisfying moral.

+ Despite a very light, stretched plot, it was paced well.

+ Applejack and Dash's competitive rivalry was really funny, especially Granny's quip after AJ missed an easy Zap Apple one to FS and Bulk. (Bulk high-5'ing FS a little too hard was the funniest moment of the episode.)

+ Pinkie wanted to win for Twi, but also have fun.

- But she came across as too random and dimwitted at times.

- Pinkie's crazy "TWIPIE!" face was way too creepy and not funny.

- Many jokes early didn't make sense or were too gross.

- The book was an obvious McGuffin. Pinkie's DQ came from a rule that made sense, but many other rules, like sleeping and minor taunts, were too outta left field, even for an episode this light in plot.

As fun as Trivial Pursuit's second half was, a lot of the first half didn't go over well, and when you have an episode with an extremely simple story, the jokes need to work very well as a whole. That doesn't happen.

It's a fine return to form after 246G, but worse than the worst S9A episode, Going to Seed. Dropping it down my list, from B to B- (from #82 to #113).

Between Dark and Dawn marks the next chapter for the goal from the premiere: Celestia and Luna will retire, so the RM7 will take their place when they're ready. Capping the first half with this episode fits with the arc to a T, especially with the sprinkling of continuity throughout the season thus far. The fact that Gail Simone, one of the best comic writers, was invited to write the first Royal Sister episode of the show fits the grand nature of what S9 has felt for the past several episodes. If you're going to wrap it up, do it while on top.

Season 9A is the most consistently good half of the series: Over half of the first eleven were great, and what wasn't great was still good. Between Dark and Dawn increases the percentage of great episodes, and it's the third-best episode of Season 9, only behind both Sparkle's Seven and The Last Crusade.

So why is it so great? Time to break it down!

LO-FUCKING-L!

I know little of Simone's writing, but according to Voice of Reason in his latest At the Screening, she has really excellent comedic timing. Well, easy to see why: BD&D's littered with hysterical moments throughout. Some of the best are the following:

1. You know what's coming!
    
   Spoiler

   Wait for it…

   Spoiler

   Timing couldn't be more perfect. The suspenseful music before stopping, the lighthearted jingle at the end, the voice of Celestia disappearing as she yells deliriously to the other side, Luna holding on for dear life.

    

    

2. Quote

   Rainbow Dash: All the times we've actually needed their help, and they show up for this?

   Y'said what everybrony was thinking. Celestia could've been involved everywhere, and they went with a simple trespass of Tank's hungry great-great-great-great-great grandfather.  

3. While Luna and Celestia went on vacation for the first time in forever, several ponies reacted really hilariously. Three favorites include one stallion (Fond Feather) fainting as they walked by, one mare taking a selfie while Celly naps on her head, and a stallion backing away from them in the post office (a scene that I'll get to later). And it's easy to see why. They're the most famous ponies in all of Equestria, yet spend almost their whole lives cooped up in Canterlot Castle. So once you pass them when you least expect it…well, can y'blame 'em?!

4. Dash incredulously asking why the swanifying ceremony was so important.

In addition, this episode has a plethora of really goofy faces, taking full advantage of the cartoony medium. The fact that a very famous writer agreed to write for an episode and the overall absurd tone accompanying it gave the crew ample opportunity to go for it wherever. If I go through a lot of them, I'd be overloading slower browsers… Oh, what the hell!

1. Y'know y'screwed up when Pinkie's cross.
2. Spoiler

   

   Feelin' a wee giddy there, I presume?

3. Spoiler

   

   Not feelin' the Aloha spirit, I guess.

4. Spoiler

   

   This episode is loaded with detail, and this tiny one is no exception. Celestia glaring at the goofed-up face of herself. Luna fighting off fits of laughter. The sculptor not having any clue about his screw-up.

5. Spoiler

   

   Luna doesn't like the thrills. That said, wait for that Luna face again.

6. Spoiler

   

   Goth Celestia? How amusing.

7. 
   
   Ruling a kingdom ain't easy, whether it's for celebrating the agency of swans or manipulating position of the sun and moon. That FACE is Twilight at her most exasperated.

8. Of course, the funniest of them all.

   Spoiler

   
   

   Recall Luna's face while riding Flim and Flam's roller coaster? That face comes back again, only this time with Celestia's excitement.

With all these faces, it's easy to see how much fun the storyboarders and animators had with these scenes. But even with all of them, they don't ruin the moment when it gets serious or turn gross. They push and toe the point of being uncanny without crossing that imaginary border. Each time they make that face, it's laugh-out-load hilarious. The little scores and voices help time them, too.

More to come later.

Swanversion of expectations.

One big strength of FIM that doesn't get much credit anymore is its ability to subvert expectations to the audience. Back in Season 1, the show built a reputation of flipping clichés on their head, such as making the prince a vain jackass, a female unicorn who works beyond the call of duty to deliver the best quality possible, or a realistic approach to sisterhood conflict. How does this episode do this? Via swans. Stereotyped as elegant and gracious, the swans here are not presented this way at all. They're impatient, and temperamental, and aggressive, all with enough agency to make the RM7 know their place. When they found out who was leading the gala, they honked crossly at them. These moat-wandering, spoiled, Pony version of castle gators commanded respect; when things didn't go their way, they let Twi and friends have it. Celestia knew it, and while they were on vacation, they have every reason to count on them to solve it without their help.

Fancy seeing you here!

As Twilight helps run Equestria while Celestia and Luna vacation, the first main thing they must accomplish is hosting the Swanifying Gala. But little did Twilight know that Fancy Pants (welcome back!), Jet Set, and Upper Crust would be there to help out. Granted, it was very dumb of her to reject their help without observing Celestia's scroll of instructions, yet this isn't purely her fault here. No one warned her at any point that someone would come to assist her. For all she knew, they entered unannounced and had no idea how to help set it up. This was Twilight's first taste of how to run and eventually coming to understand how no one pony can run an important royal event, much less a kingdom, alone. Leaders need help.

Some rudeness aside, Fancy Pants was quite reasonable, and his sternness was completely justified.

1. Neither he nor his aristocratic clients entered Canterlot Castle because they felt like it. They're familiar with the Swanifying Gala and lead the Royal Swanifying Committee. He knows how it works, and with Upper and Jet helping, they can help delegate for the gala so it can all be finished on time. Twilight turning them away surprised them and implicated that they know more that they do.
2. However, their disorganization setting up the gala meant ignoring other critical points of government. By falling back, they can't help negotiate a deal with the street sweepers and help the carpenters complete their own jobs. So why does this matter to Fancy? Canterlot trusts him; Celestia wouldn't hire him to lead the committee for no reason. Everyone there — even down to the swans, who are promised watercress — are his constituents. By getting involved and lending his voice to those more unfortunate than him, their complaints amplify. Fancy makes sure they are heard and the RM7 listen.
3. Plus, as head of the committee, the gala adheres to specific formal standards. With his experience, he can accurately judge if it holds up to it or not and mandate changes if they don't. The tablecloth decorations clearly don't, so Rarity had to delegate someone else to help her. When they realized what to do, he lets his monocle down and trusts them to finish the job.

While this may not be as entertaining as the A-plot, it's important, nevertheless. This is the first time they run a kingdom together, so this was good practice. Hiccups aside, they prove their worth for now.

The AliTeam!

But the meat of the story is Celestia and Luna. Now, this ain't the first time they shared a humongous portion of an episode. A Royal Problem dealt with long-standing friction between them, but for almost the entire 22-minute run, they acted like they hated each other, making up only after Starlight nearly scarred herself with a massive nightmare. Secondly, Starlight was the main character, not them. Most of the whole episode was in her point of view or sympathetic toward hers. Eight and a half seasons in, but FIM finally wrote them co-leading an episode.

In addition, this was A Royal Problem written much, much better. How? Instead of making them forget how much they loved each other, they loved each other both in the beginning and at the end. Their fight slowly progressed, crescendoing at their private picnic, without degrading them. The many moments throughout the episode not only showed their relationship, but added touches to their characters. Going over milestones one by one.

1. For long-time watchers like myself, the criticism of Celestia and Luna being inactive, whether via capture or not appearing at all, makes some level of sense, especially during the Chaos Theory and Cosmo arcs and movie. This episode, self-aware, pokes a little clever fun at itself, setting the tone of both the episode as well as their relationship. Even though they're major beings in Equestria, they're still sisters. Each time they "helped" was always as a team. This shot — as they exchange eye contact and hold hooves — reminds us in a very funny, over-the-top manner.
2. Unless you read the comics, the show rarely explored them as a sibling bond and individual characters. Often they appear as royal heads, but no more. That all changed with this one scene:
   Spoiler

   
   
   

   How is this important? This is the first time the audience ever watched them act like actual sisters throughout a scene. They may be wearing regalia, but they're not behaving like royalty here. A tight connection between them is revealed, and nowhere nearly as muted as their hoof-holding during Slice of Life's moral recital. Letting their guards down, they share immense excitement for the upcoming trip and offer grand ideas to share their moments together.
   
   That said, the episode subtly lays the groundwork for their eventual fight in two ways. Firstly, they disagree with how to spend that time on vacation, and it's easy to see their perspectives. Just like the Fifty Shades series, Princess Celestia's day shift is SOOOOOOOO boring! On the other hand, Luna spends all night settling nightmares and other forms of dreams so they can sleep. So adventuring and relaxation, respectively, would be welcoming changes to their routines. But most importantly, Luna says this:

   Quote

   Princess Luna: Uh, I'm not sure how we can both be happy.

   Here, doubt clouds above them, potentially leading to an argument. However, just like the Angry Swans, Between Dark and Dawn subverts expectations once again, cutting off the idea to make way for a compromise. When it's possible to introduce disagreement (i.e., Celestia's uncertainty toward the Hawaiian shirts and forgetting to warn Luna of the snack's awful flavor), they go back to being caring sisters once more.

1. Analyzing some of the best jokes, including the "ZIPLIIIINE!" (and the faces), Dash's sarcastic quip after the sisters teleported the big turtle, and the stallion walking backwards after seeing them on line in the post office.
2. The subversion of expectations regarding the swans. Stereotypically seen as elegant creatures, they're really aggressive and territorial. In this episode, they have some agency and respected by the Royal sisters, their delegates, and all of Canterlot.
3. Fancy Pants justifiably calling out the RM7 after Twilight turned them away initially.
4. How the show has gotten more and more comfortable letting Luna and Celestia bow their hair. BDaD was a culmination of their relationship, which showed to be on edge in ARP, but Simone wrote an episode that improved on its biggest flaw: making the sisters act like they never knew each other at all. Instead, they show that they're very close, yet still show friction at really sensitive times and slowly build up to that moment, starting with their first disagreement and building through Lotta Little Things.