Was 'Best Night Ever' the best finale?

[Tilt 286]

I think the Grand Galloping Gala episode was the best finale we ever got. I mean this is not to say I dislike the other finales with the exception of the Canterlot Wedding (I have my reasons) But the reason I thought the triple G is the best finale is because every single one of the mane 6 had near enough equal screen time, they all had purpose and their purposes came together in the end to give us a funny episode with tons of memorable moments like Fluttershy's "Love me!" yell and Rarity's "Afraid to get dirty?".

 

If you look at the finales since then they all really equate to "Twilight saves the day" which is all fine and good I suppose but I'd like the others to play major roles as well. 

 

Now before people bring up Season 3's finale and how they were all involved in some way, I point out that their screen time wasn't really equal and it again boiled down to "Twilight saves the day" with the mane 5 not really doing anything helpful but instead being the problem.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Tilt

[PSP (Dizzy) 201]

I think Twilight was actually "the problem" in the S3 finale, and the solution was the knowledge she had gained about her friends over the years.

[Tilt 286]

I think Twilight was actually "the problem" in the S3 finale, and the solution was the knowledge she had gained about her friends over the years.

Whilst she did cause the problem un-intentionally she wasn't herself the problem. but again it still came down to she saved the day and even got wings to sweeten the deal.

[PSP (Dizzy) 201]

Whilst she did cause the problem un-intentionally she wasn't herself the problem. but again it still came down to she saved the day and even got wings to sweeten the deal.

 

Well, yeah, I cannot deny that she "saved the day", but she wouldn't have been able to do it without the talents of her friends. I love the S1 finale a lot too, but I think they're all excellent in their own way.

[Tilt 286]

Well, yeah, I cannot deny that she "saved the day", but she wouldn't have been able to do it without the talents of her friends. I love the S1 finale a lot too, but I think they're all excellent in their own way.

Like I said, I don't dislike the finales except for season 2's (again I have reasons) My fave goes 1,4,3. Those are my favourites.

[PSP (Dizzy) 201]

Like I said, I don't dislike the finales except for season 2's (again I have reasons) My fave goes 1,4,3. Those are my favourites.

 

I wasn't assuming you disliked it, don't worry. I was just saying that Twilight's friends played an important role in the S3 finale as well.

[The Second Opinion 270]

Granted, the season 3 finale was the only one I thought was anything less than great for this show, but I'd probably have to put Best Night Ever/Grand Galloping Gala in third. 

[hawkflame 3,315]

I doubt you're the only one.  A Canterlot Wedding used to be one of my favorite episodes, but I think it's somewhat slipped the more I notice howmuch the rest of the cast had to be shafted in order for the conflict to properly play out (and it was a great conflict).  Season 4 also has the same problem in that the rest of the Mane Six didn't really have much to do.  In fact the only two parters where the other cast members really have their moment are in the pilot and Return of Harmony.  Season 3 finale had a different problem in that it needed more than one episode.  

 

But Best Night Ever had the perfect balance.  Everyone had their moment to contribute to the story.  That's something they need to do more of in the two parters.  You don't have to split time evenly between them, just give them some purpose in the episode.  The pilot and Return of Harmony did this fairly well.  Even Rainbow Rocks did it.

[dekutree64 713]

Yeah, the gala was an excellent finale. Tied in with other episodes of the season, felt like a bigger deal than a regular episode, and didn't need a villain to do it.

 

But really, all the finales are great. Season 3's is the most frustrating, because the end result is something I'd wanted and never thought would really happen on the show, but the execution was a mess, cramming it into 22 minutes and not giving Twilight a choice in the matter. Really, Celestia should have told her at the end of the season 3 opener, and spent the whole season mentally preparing for the change.

 

If I had to choose, I'd probably say season 2's is my favorite of the finale episodes. But I do hope we get another villainless, non-Twilight-centric one before the end of the series. The gala just feels so much more... well, girly. Like the show is supposed to be. It's about the characters, rather than the action.

 

Season 4's was awesome and all, but it feels like they've gone too far toward feeding the bronies.

[Radiance64 7,059]

Yeah, it's not a bad episode... as a finale though, well, I'll just say good thing the series went on after it. The other season finales wrap up their seasons better imo, especially the two-parters. Guess I prefer more action-packed endings to warmer ones, but that's just me.

[sweetolebob18 728]

On the one hand, The Best Night Ever has the least plot significance of any season finale.  On the other hand, Queen Chrysalis is a moron (How, exactly, is terrorizing everyone supposed to get you love?), Discord isn't any smarter in Twilight's Kingdom (why didn't he just kick Tirek's ass back to Tartarus & do the job himself?) & Magical Mystery Cure, T casts an unknown spell to find out what it does.  She probably pushes buttons to find out what that does, too.

 

TBNE has no great significance but it does have some great scenes (where Spike wants to come in & R forbids it & AJ points out they don't wear clothes, the scenes where R & F lose it at the Gala) +They made the mistake of expecting too much from the Gala, but it wasn't a REALLY STUPID mistake.  So, over all, I'd call it my favorite finale.

[Jeric 46,884]

@Tilt, made some changes to the title to allow for it to more descriptive (the Topic Title is what shows in Google )

[Cleverclover 1,526]

I think Twilight was actually "the problem" in the S3 finale, and the solution was the knowledge she had gained about her friends over the years.

 

This is true, and for this reason alone, I actually do like Magical Mystery Cure. The "A True, True Friend" sequence was honestly one of the best moments the series has had since all of the mane six were able to shine in their own way. That being said, I do find the notion that it could have been the series finale frustrating, as it would have meant that no one but Twilight would have accomplished anything during the course of the show. So yeah, it was a great season finale, but not so much a great series finale, which thankfully it wasn't. 

 

The Best Night Ever is definitely my second favorite. The Gala felt perfectly built up, and it was just a great note to end the season on. It was simple, there were no villains (well, except for a bat-shit insane Fluttershy, I guess), and no Twilight glorification over the other five. Why can't finales be this simple anymore? Now it's like they always have to drop some enormous bombshell, pull some last-minute villain out of thin air, and end on Twilight winning a prize simply on the merit of being Twilight. 

 

Anyway, for me, the finales go:

 

Magical Mystery Cure >>> The Best Night Ever >>>>> A Canterlot Wedding >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> vomit >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> pig slop >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> horse dung >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Twilight's Kingdom 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,164]

Honestly, while the episode was great & all, it kinda feels flat when compared to the other finales. Don't get me wrong though; I think it does a fine job of closing out S1, but it doesn't do much to really distinguish itself from the other S1. "A Canterlot Wedding" and "Twilight's Kingdom" felt like stronger episodes to me, and "Magical Mystery Cure" was able to pull on my emotional more effectively.

 

Still though; it's a great episode in any case!

[Pastel 7,630]

I agree The Best Night Ever is a very good episode, unfortunately it's only my 3rd favorite season finale. A Canterlot Wedding and Twilight's Kingdom are very different (more action), but they are so epic, so catchy...  The Best Night Ever suffers by comparison.

 

I'd say:  A Canterlot Wedding > Twilight's Kingdom > The Best Night Ever >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Magical Mystery Cure

Edited January 14, 2015 by Blobulle

[Sceethe 704]

well.. i disagree ^^

 

to me, the s1 finale didn´t really.. feel like a finale, at least not when compared to the other 2.

twilight and friends didnt exactly learn an incredibly important lesson( not that they did in each of the other ones, though) and overall, it felt more on the comedic side, with nothing really "big" happening for the world.

in the season 2 finale, we see chrysalis trying to take over equestria.imagine what consequences this would´ve had.

we have tirek in season 4, which is basically the same thing, and magical mystery cure... well, alicorns, you know the rest

 

i hope you see what i mean here, every other finale had a villain, or some major event happening that had a major effect on the world of the show.

 

GGG had fluttershy chasing animals.

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

I agree that the best night ever was a good way to end the first season, eventhough it was planned that return of harmony should be the finale. However, i think it's only ranked 3rd on my list. I think my list is the same as my friend Blobulle over me, for the same reasons, with the only exception that i don't hate MMC as most other people and that i switch ACW with TK, but there isn't much between those two.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Hypnosparkle

[Deae Rising Shine~ 57,474]

I liked all 4 finals. 2 and 4for the action and emotion, 3 for the emotion and 1 for the humor. They all sure got pros and contras, but I like them all^^

[Conred 274]

I think Twilight Kingdom was best so far as it set a "milestone" of how action is portrayed in this series and made more significant character development (Discord reformation) than in MMC (Twilight ascension), Canterlot Wedding(Shining Armor and Cadance first appearance) or Best NIght Ever (no development whatsoever, just a slight of life episode with nothing at stake)

[Orablanco Account 3,708]

"Best Night Ever" is one of my favorite episodes. Everyone gets a chance to shine and the writing does a good job playing off or twisting the characters' personalities. And it ends with the lesson "Sometimes things end up sucking," which is hardcore, bro.

[chirox the pony 1,336]

I think Twilight's kingdom was the best finale, but I would have to say that "best night ever" is my second favourite (followed by canterlot wedding then magical mystery cure). 

[[NULL] 907]

Ehh, I don't know. When comparing it to Twilight's Kingdom (Yeah I know, all aboard the USS Bandwagon.) it just seems like an above average Season 1 episode. I would even say that I enjoyed A Canterlot Wedding and The Return of Harmony more than it because-

 

 

... because they took us by surprise, and we haven't seen anything like them on the show.

 

Now if you'll excuse me...

[Dark Qiviut 22,606]

The Best Night Ever may not be my most favorite episode (it's in the top-ten), but it's unquestionably the best finale. Hell, I argue it's the best episode of the whole show. While it doesn't play with your emotions like Twilight's Kingdom or Magical Mystery Cure, its technical executions are much better than the other three, sacrificing the contrived tugging of the emotions for something far more genuine.

 

Best pacing of any episode. There's a fantastic balance of screentime for each character, and AKR takes her time crushing every dream of the Mane Six.

 

Impeccable comedy.

 

Fantastic production by Will Anderson, Daniel Ingram, and the animators (the animation in TBNE easily competes with S3 or S4).

 

Great characters being IN character.

 

This is FIM in its purest form. One big problem with the other finales is how despite Twilight being the main character, the others are just as important. This is Friendship Is Magic, not Twilight Is Magic. The Best Night Ever shows that Friendship Is Magic throughout.

 

It's not as bombastic as the others, but a great season finale doesn't have to be. Just write the finale well. TBNE succeeds in every facet.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[ghostfacekiller39 23,879]

I'd say it is the best one. It has that simple complexity to it that is not easy to pull off, but is high quality when done. Most of my opinions have been stated in this thread and I feel no need to reiterate them, but all in all it's just a great episode  One thing I will say is that I loved how it wasn't Twilight Sparkle saves the day, too. I won't lie, I feel that's the achilles heel of this series - I like Twilight, but I do think the show would be better with a slice of life, just 6 friends doing their thing feel, as opposed to Twilight is princess who saves the day and equestria and is main character with 5 sidekicks.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Agreed completely. It may not have had an intense and suspenseful conflict, big villains, or "Twilight's life changing forever!™", but none of that is what the show is all about anyway. Best Night Ever was a very chill episode that gave time and value to each character's interests and dreams while still showing that they'll be there for one another at the end of the day, after everything goes bad. It felt authentic while being very entertaining

 

I don't dislike any of the other finales, but this episode was missing a lot of qualities I haven't enjoyed as much about the ends of newer seasons.