S05:E01+02 - The Cutie Map

[ggg-2 3,553]

Now that we have Party Favor, someone call Cheese so we can have a Party Pony Association, stat!

[Declen 118]

 

 

hat doesn't sound much different from other equality-based dystopias like Harrison Bergeron.

The difference is that the Harrison Bergeron is a fiction. USSR was real.

 

And I don't Starlight lived in luxury exactly

She alowed herself what others were deprived of. And our party leaders didn't live in real luxury either compared to modern day billionaries.

[Glaive9Gko 82]

Oh, and one more thing...  Starlight Glimmer?  I went into this episode expecting her to be the sister of Sunset Shimmer or something, but I guess it's just that the MLP creators are running out of creativity with names.  Darn.

 

I think its an intended story thing. Like, destiny saw fit to give 3 or more unicorns similar names and paths in life, discovering the nuances of friendship. One arrogantly Imposed her viewpoints and hid from criticism, another found refuge in oppressive bullying, and one got it right and ascended. For all we know, there may be more of them out there.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Yet it was a pretty accurate representation of a reality back in the USSR.

I've grown up in there.

 

Hmm...then I guess it is an accurate representation of what it can lead to, but it never specified that's the way it had to be and made no attempt to even imply as much, so I can't say I agree with the execution entirely - I still get the impression that Communism could be a great thing if not for people like Starlight Glimmer, but it's people like her that make it like that. 

 

I will take that into consideration when I begin to perform an actual analysis of the episode, though, instead of just my initial thoughts. Thanks for the feedback, man.

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

I actually had only remembered late last night that the premiere was today. That tells you how much the prolonged hiatus threw everything off!

 

In truth, I didn't have high expectations for the episode. I didn't catch many of the teasers, and I generally expected another large-scale crisis on par with the previous season openers. Colored me very impressed, then, when the story took a more focused turn. Rather than emphasize an abundance of spectacle, the characters were front and center in trying to manage a very enigmatic problem.

 

This episode reminded me a lot of Star Trek: a small team ventures into the unknown, ends up on a Planet of Hats, gets kidnapped by the locals, and needs to use a third option to escape before driving home a moral. Twilight even tilts the lampshade every so gently when she mentions having a plan; later her Kirk Summation on friendship is cut short by Starlight Glimmer. The episode overall felt very self-aware without suffocating the audience with lampshade hanging. I sense MA Larson had a lot to do with the trope nods -- that seems to be kind of his thing.

 

I'm impressed by the appearance of a villain who wasn't redeemed overnight. Starlight Glimmer ran off without learning the lesson, and I think the lack of definitive resolution to her role permitted the narrative to breathe. The biggest qualm I've had with MLP two-parters -- and I'm not alone in this opinion -- is how rushed the third act typically is. Here, however, the climax felt more organic. Hopefully this (cutie) marks a trend that will carry over into other major episodes.

 

It appears as though the writers have been granted greater latitude to pursue story arcs, as I assume Starlight's escape indicates she will be a threat in the future. I can only rub my hands together at the thought of what type of vengeance she'll attempt to unleash upon the Mane Six. My suspicion is that she'll eventually be redeemed at the toward the end of the season; until then, given how she was able to remove cutie marks, she may prove to be an especially dangerous adversary and direct rival to Twilight. Anti-Mane Six, here we come!

 

Even though the episode was low-key in comparison to its predecessors, I believe it potentially marks major shifts in the storytelling dynamics. Apart from Project Insight the obvious Holographic Plot Crisis Detector, we were introduced to the prospect of Equestria not being completely harmonious. If Starlight Glimmer's next appearance further builds her up as a complex person rather than simply a raving Big Bad, then we're definitely in business.

 

In sum, an excellent episode. I'll probably need to watch it again to be sure, but I dare say this was the best MLP Season premiere since "The Return of Harmony."

[Celli 4,338]

 

 

I'm seeing praise for it everywhere I look

Is that necessarily a bad thing? 

[Persona22 205]

I can't be the only one that thought of this while watching the episode, right?

 

Edited April 12, 2015 by Persona22

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Is that necessarily a bad thing? 

Of course not, but that doesn't mean that I agree with it, and I can't really understand why it deserves it at the moment

[Celli 4,338]

Of course not, but that doesn't mean that I agree with it, and I can't really understand why it deserves it at the moment

Yeah, good point. I guess some people, myself included, just don't see the problems you see, or think that what you're talking about isn't really as bad as you say it is. I dunno.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Yeah, good point. I guess some people, myself included, just don't see the problems you see, or think that what you're talking about isn't really as bad as you say it is. I dunno.

I just don't really like it when I think something fails to look at a subject from a global point of view and confines it to a nationalistic point of view. Holds everyone back as a whole, in my opinion, because we fail to see things from the perspective of others. That's a pretty big deal to me, honestly, because I feel that nationalism - regardless of what type of government ideology is being used - is something that holds almost the whole world back.

[J.R. 3,183]

That was awesome!!! Ponies banded together to run SG outta town!!!

[Marimo 555]

Upon seeing the character and the synopsis of what it was about, people instantly drew lines to communism, man. Maybe you can offer me a line of reasoning that proves it wasn't?

 

While writers should be aware of if they make certain connotations, isn't it also possible for viewers or readers to be guilty of making assumptions and jumping to conclusions, which could skew their interpretations of things when the product is finally released? I think a lot of people just jumped to the conclusion that "equality = communism".

 

And the point of evidence is to prove something, and you're the one asserting an idea, that it's meant to be based on communism. Frankly, communism to me involves them doing more to cover more things like the economy. Not every message about how things would be better if this or that was more equal has to do with communism.

The difference is that the Harrison Bergeron is a fiction. USSR was real.

 

She alowed herself what others were deprived of. And our party leaders didn't live in real luxury either compared to modern day billionaries.

 

This is also fiction. And a story can reference things like settings that are also from a story.

 

Like what? The only thing I can think of is her cutie mark still remaining, which has different meaning from what you were saying about living in relative luxury, and was technically necessary for their community to function or else nothing could take away their cutie marks.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Marimo

[Declen 118]

 

 

I still get the impression that Communism could be a great thing if not for people like Starlight Glimmer, but it's people like her that make it like that.

The ideology of communism is built on the doctrine of marxism: doctrine that pritches the social antagonism rather then cooperation. So how the doctrine that praises the inevitability of the civil war can be "a great thing"?

 

And there will always be people like Starlight Glimmer: political power always attracts corrupt people who will abuse it. So it's up to political system to define how much power they have. And ideal socoal system (like utopical communism) needs ideal people, otherwise it will allways fail. And if we have society of ideal peolpe it will become an ideal society on itself, won't it?

[AlbaTross 1,586]

I woke up early this morning, so I figured I might try to see if I could watch the season premier even though I had missed the live stream. Well ok, I woke up around 9:30, but on days when I don't have to get up early I usually wake up around 10:30. Anyways, I was originally planning to wait for these episodes to be posted on watchcartoononline.com or possibly catch it on Dailymotion, but I really wanted to see it then. I grabbed my iPad and stayed in bed and ended up searching Google for just under an hour(about 50 minutes) for a way to watch this premier without having to sign up for something or download it, and of quality that's at least clear enough that I can see what's going on(that vid where that girl tried to record her TV screen was out). I eventually managed to catch both parts on YouTube before Google inevitable takes that vid down. Have I mentioned that I think Google buying YouTube was one of the worst things ever to happen to the Internet?

 

The vid I saw didn't include the intros or credits, but I looked up the season 5 intro aftwerwards just to confirm my suspicions that it's the season 4 intro with the castle in the background near the end instead of the Golden Oak Library. Oh right, my thoughts on this two parter. I wasn't actually expecting both parts to air so I'm happy about that. I'm assuming from now on it will be one episode a week, so that we will get at least 24 weeks of new pony episodes and I'm cool with that.

 

Ok, I will get to my impressions. The equal village is delightfully creepy, and I kind of like Starlight Glimmer as a sort of Disney-esque villainess who is as ersatz as the community she had built. The ending was a little anti-climactic but I don't actually think that's the end of Starlight Glimmer's story arc. When the villain runs off at the end that's usually a sign that they'll be back and I'm expecting that's when we will get to learn more about her in terms of backstory and motivation.

 

I kind of expected all of the above, except I was kind of expecting Starlight Glimmer to be more definitively defeated. However, these episodes didn't quite play out like I expected. I was expecting Twilight to somehow avoid having her cutie mark taken and her once again being the one to save the day. I'm glad Fluttershy got her moment, and that the mane six had to be creative and involve everypony else in the village as opposed to the mane six being the undisputed heroes like usual. Sure, the ending is incomplete, but perhaps the season finale will bring the climax and falling action. The start of season 5 gets a thumbs up from me and I'm super stoked to see where this season goes.

[Mand'alor Dash 2,224]

 

 

I still get the impression that Communism could be a great thing if not for people like Starlight Glimmer,

 

If an entire philosophy crumbles when one accounts for human equine evil, then maybe it was a ridiculous philosophy to begin with.

[Declen 118]

The only thing I can think of is her cutie mark still remaining

Yes.

And one of the few things our lesser party functionaries were alowed to do is to trawel to the western countries and bring back home some jeans or VHS. Bet, it doesn't soud like much of a luxury to you either, does it? Yet, for us it was, first and foremost, sign of unequality, hipoctrisy and corruption.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Declen

[The Cynical Lone Wolf 615]

 

Wow... I'm still trying to collect my thoughts, but that was damned solid overall. I guess something you need to know about me is that I thrive on stuff that I find thematically interesting. Even if a story makes absolutely no logical sense, I can still enjoy it if it makes me think about unique or interesting ideas. Whilst the danger of forcing equality isn't exactly a new idea, what made it interesting was how it got played out in the context of MLP.

 

Spoilers Ahead - You Have Been Warned

The episode presents us with a village whose people live by the following mantra: Different talents lead to different opinions which inevitably lead to conflict. Therefore, the only way to prevent conflict is for everyone to be equally inept.

 

To be frank, the episode was constantly reminding me of an old Doctor Who serial called 'The Happiness Patrol'. In it, The Doctor arrives on a planet called Terra Alpha where unhappiness is illegal and punished by death - specifically, being drowned in colourful molten candy. Smiles are fake, prisons aren't called prisons, dreary streets are draped in fluorescent pink and tacky elevator music plays 24/7. Although the premiere was obviously nowhere as extreme, it resonated a similar sort of unsettling, emotionally unhinged creepiness which was way more effective than it had any right to be given MLP's target demographic. In fact, one thing that really impressed me was just how far the writers actually went with the village. It's one thing to show creepy smiles, but it's another thing to touch on indoctrination, propaganda and how cult-like behaviour forms and plays out around charismatic leaders. There were a few other things I enjoyed too. Not only did this episode have some pretty good background music, but it also introduced a very enjoyable musical number as well. 

 

Now for the bad stuff. I really don't have too much to complain about, since what I mentioned above more than makes up for this stuff to me. Suffice to say, this episode has two problems. The least offensive of the two is that it kinda simplifies the main characters. Most of them get reduced to stereotypes for the sake of illustrating their cutie marks fading away. This doesn't bother me too much, as it's arguably been done in other episodes, but some might dislike it. What's much more irritating however, is the lack of any real closure on Starlight Glimmer. She just runs off into the cave network, and we don't really find out anything else about her. What was Twilight planning to do with her? How did she come to believe in this philosophy? Does she have a tragic backstory ? At the moment, it doesn't look like we'll find out anytime soon - heck, Pinkie Pie even pointed out that the episode ended too quickly. Ii can only hope that this'll be the setup for the season's story arc.

 

Definitely one of the better season openers for me.

 

Yeah I totally. I felt they saw season 1 of Korra and just copy and pasted into this episode. It had an interesting concept sure, but both what it clearly copied from and Doctor Who did it way better. You cant just put this concept into an hour long special,it best if in an four partner or an entire season. It was, in my opinion weaker then Magical Mystery Cure. Hell, primer last season was just a bit better then this . I was expecting 30 second cliffhanger for Starlight,but it end on that note. Season 5 is not looking good so far.

My opinion on Starlight is that she's a ripoff both The Master and Amon. Heck I was was expecting Starlight to say

"Im Starlight and you'll obey me ."

Yeah Starlight is the  worse villain of MLP so far, she's a ripoff other villains,nothing more 

[Batbrony 16,054]

 

Alright, alright, alright everypony, we are back in business.  Welcome back, yet again, to another Batbrony Reviews.  Did ya'll miss me?  Cause I missed you!   Season 5 is underway, and quite frankly I couldn't be happier with how things have gone so far.  This season's already established for itself a pretty unique feel compared to previous seasons, so let's jump right in and take a look at what I thought worked so very well in these first two episodes.  This is Batbrony Reviews "S05:E1+2 - The Cutie Map"

 

Story and Themes

 

I normally wouldn't overlap these two sections, but in this case, I really thought they were really interconnected in both of these episodes.  If there is anything that truly stands out about this opener compared to the previous ones we've had, it's just how very smartly it was all written!  The pacing was absolutely phenomenal, no section felt like it ever dragged or was rushed, the dialogue was almost always relevant to the plot without coming across as forced or convenient, and the story itself was a pleasant deviation from what we've gotten in the past.  As opposed to a godlike, tyrannical being capable of conquering Equestria through sheer force of strength, we got for the first time a villain in Starlight Glimmer who really relied off of her wits, charm, charisma, and overwhelming force of personality to manipulate others around her, even more than Chrysalis or Discord ever did, at least in comparison to the level of magic at her disposal.  Not only that, but the conflict itself was not readily apparent from the beginning, even though it was clear that something was off about the town that the Mane 6 were sent to by the Cutie Map.

 

The way this conflict was resolved, however, is where the storytelling really shined, namely in how it helped deliver the episodes themes and philosophy as well.  The overarching philosophy of both episodes was obviously that ponies' cutie marks are a part of what makes them special, unique individuals, and those individual qualities help them be the best they can be both individually and as friends and neighbors with one another.  They may not always agree about everything, but those disagreements cannot possibly sunder the deeper bonds they have with one another if they truly share friendship with each other.  And hey, no pony's going to be friends with everypony, that's simply not possible, but that's just another component of the magic of friendship and individuality.  They're all different, they all have their own likes and dislikes, but they learn from the Mane 6 that they should celebrate those differences, not shun them or try to suppress them in favor of a false and repressive equality.  I especially appreciated this message because right now (and for quite a long time, really) it seems like in far too many places around the world people are under the impression that it is simply impossible to tolerate or coexist with others who hold different values or opinions from them.  This is quite simply complete bunk; our very own fandom is proof of this!  There are all kinds of bronies all over the world who live their lives in different ways, believe different things, and excel at varying activities, and we should and often do celebrate those differences, as do so many other communities around the world.  Our individual personalities, beliefs, and behavior are a part of what makes this world special, and the fact that so many communities coexist harmoniously with each other show that the celebration of this individuality is something truly worth striving for, now and always.  Sadly, too many places around the world, even in countries like the United States, fear individual or communal differences, and don't believe that such coexistence is possible.  That fear drives people to seek "safe", "comforting", and "secure" homogeneity in thought and behavior, and so it's always a struggle to promote the celebration of individuality in all kinds of places.  But again, it truly is something worth doing, so no matter how hard it may ever seem, we all should never fear embracing each other for who we are, as no matter what our differences may be, most of us truly do just desire love and shoulders to lean on from others.  Thus, we find that the celebration of individuality really is a key component of the magic of friendship itself, as it requires hope, kindness, love, loyalty, honesty, generosity of spirit, and a desire to understand one another to achieve.

 

As I said before, the episode did an excellent of conveying this message, and not just by preaching it.  There was a lot more of 'show' than 'tell' going on here, namely in the Mane 6's actions.  Each of their individual personalities shone in different ways, and always for the better.  Some suspected the town from the very beginning more than others, they disagreed and debated with one another over what exactly they were supposed to do there, but through it all they remained true to one another, and ultimately their individual qualities only helped them overcome this new threat they faced, rather than splinter them.  Fluttershy's kindness and openness to the town proved crucial later on in the story, Pinkie's suspicions helped them all stay on their guard, all the others made their own contributions which helped direct and guide the entire group's behavior the entire time.  When they were at their lowest point, they didn't give in to Starlight Glimmer's magic, but rather, even without the cutie marks that help make each of them so special, leaned on each other for support and relied on their deep bonds of friendship to stay strong and overcome these travails.  Their example eventually rubbed off on the entire town and pushed the rest of them, after discovering Starlight's ruse, not only to be the best they could be, but to lean on their fellow townsponies for support as well more than they ever did in their so-called utopia.  Put simply, the story's execution was simply phenomenal, and marvelously conveyed both episodes messages so very well.  In my humble opinion, it's some of the smartest, if not the smartest, writing and pacing I've ever seen in any season opener this show's given us to date, and definitely some of the smartest storytelling we've seen in general throughout the entire series.

 

 

Characters

 

Characters was another area where these episodes really shined, starting with the Mane 6, of course.  I think more than anything these episodes highlighted (as many have for some time now) just how far this entire has progressed in their learning about the magic of friendship since the first season.  Yeah, they argued at points like friends do, but never to a point where their friendships were jeopardized.  Their individual personalities were each apparent, they cooperated and leaned on each other for support the whole way through, and from start to finish their friendship was the biggest strength they had at their disposal.  It wasn't the Princess Twilight hour either (an unfortunate trend since really the start of Season 3 that has very much come to define many season openers and finales), and I really appreciated that, it felt more like a Season 1 or Season 2 opener or finale.  Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie especially shone, the former because her not always apparent bravery and inner strength came through a number of times for the group and town, along with the strength of her kind and loving personality in general, and the latter because she was very level headed actually (by Pinkie Pie's standards, at least  ), but every single one of them played their own part, if only in being there for each other from start to finish with no wavering in their resolve.  That was wonderful to see, and it seems that compared to the last two seasons, the group, with their positions as the Guardians of Friendship really secured (and Twilight herself as the Princess of Friendship) are now much more certain and sure of the direction that their lives and role in Equestria must take, and I like that, I really do.  It shows growth as characters, how more and more they are stepping into mature adulthood and closer to fulfilling their true potential and destinies for all of Equestria.  Brilliant stuff, really, absolutely brilliant characterization all around.

 

 

Look girls, the new season's finally arrived!

 

Woahhhhh, it's so beautiful!!!   

 

Starlight Glimmer, as I mentioned earlier, makes for a very unique villain to this show.  She's the first completely normal pony we've seen starring as a full-fledged villain (even Sombra, despite being a unicorn, was clearly a vastly powerful magic-wielder compared to her), and she's quite a sinister one, at that.  Deceptive, manipulative, hiding her motivations and the totalitarian nature of her actions under the guise of friendship and harmony?  This is something we've never really seen before out of an MLP villain.  There is also a bitterness to her that seemed to really drive her actions throughout, and became more and more apparent as the episodes continued; clearly she has a deeply rooted hatred for the individualism she so loathes.  We still aren't entirely sure of what exactly her motivations were, and given that she escaped at the end still determined to spread her twisted worldview across all of Equestria, I expect that as the season unfolds we may very well learn more and more about why she hates things the way they are.  I loved, really, the delving into the magical nature of cutie marks; I myself have actually extensively explored this in a similar, but still different, manner in my only fanfiction to date, because it really does make for some interesting world building and intriguing story arcs and development in the series.  I'm very excited to see what exactly may play out with out first (to date) villain in the show with, most likely, her very own, season-spanning story arc, and I imagine that before all things are said and done, she'll cause only more trouble and mischief for the Mane 6 and all of Equestria.  Should be fun to watch. 

 

 

Now that's a smile only a mother could love.  Well... OK, I'm not even sure a mother could love that.  You scare me, Comrade Shimmer, like... a lot.   

 

Finally, I simply to speak about the townsponies themselves.  It was a real treat getting to finally see background ponies get so involved in the show, as it too really hammered away the message of the value of individuality and just what special things each and every pony is capable of, no matter who they may be, when they simply embrace who they are and what they can do.  On top of that, there was a pleasantly surprising equity in the male-to-female ratio that we really haven't seen in the show before, and each one of the new characters introduced more extensively were quite delightful to meet and learn about.  Their designs were cool, their personalities were unique and distinguished from one another, and it was great to see not just what they could do at their best, but also just how much they too craved the magic of friendship.  We got to see that friendship is not just particularly reserved in a special manner for the Mane 6, that really it is a key component in the lives of each and every pony in Equestria.  I expect that we will see this more from other background ponies (including, Lord willing, ones we are far more familiar with already  ) as the season continues, and if it plays out like it did here, then boy oh boy, we are in for a treat. 

 

 

They're actually quite friendly once you get to know them.  And they're not, ya know, acting crazy.

 

 

Music

 

We only had one musical number this time around, "In Our Town", and to be honest and frank, I loved it.  I really, really did.  For one, it was a villain song, the first one we've had in the actual show itself since "This Day Aria" (not counting "Under Our Spell" in "Rainbow Rocks", which is also a pretty awesome number).  The tune was quite pleasant but also helped build this sense of dread and hammer away that there was really something not right about this whole place, supplemented by the choreography and visuals of the number as well.  The lyrics handily explained in just over 2 minutes Starlight Glimmer's utopian/dystopian/totalitarian vision for all of ponykind and Equestria, and it fit very well into the first episode's plot.  It felt stiff, forced, and staged, but in a good way, seeing as all of the behavior in the entire town was forced and staged, so it really complimented the town's atmosphere very nicely.  All in all, I loved this song, and Daniel Ingram and the DHX music team delivered yet again.  I like forward to seeing what else they've come up with for this season music-wise; I can only imagine we have some phenomenal numbers to look forward to.

 

 

Animation

 

The animation, as has been par for the course for DHX for some time now, was phenomenal and flawless as usual.  I think this time what really stuck was the characters themselves, in a number of ways.  Some of the facial expressions were fantastic; the forced and creepy smiles on all of the townsponies, Pinkie's wide range of facial expressions, and many more stood out.  The motion of characters was also quite impressive, if that makes sense; the choreography of the townsponies in particular really helped convey the homogeneity and uniformity of the town, as did the visual symbolism.  The equal sign kept popping up throughout, sometimes in obvious and apparent ways, other times not so much and in far more subtle ways, and it all nicely reinforced the fabricated nature of the dystopian community, as did other symbolic visuals, such as the fact that Starlight Glimmer's home sat at the head of the community rather in the two rows of cottages themselves.  It was an impressive example of the visuals and animation being utilized in the storytelling in ways that we often haven't seen in the show; subtle, but impressive and definitely there as well, and my hat's off to the DHX animation team for looking yet again for new ways to improve their craft and deliver the best MLP experience possible in their own way.

 

 

This animation pleases Fluttershy

 

Miscellaneous

 

Before I wrap up my final thoughts, here's a few more miscellaneous notes for this first review of Season 5.  The comedy was, as usual, delightful, and it was also quite nice to see none of the dialogue or comedic bits really deviated too much from the action or plot itself.  Pinkie as always had some fantastic dialogue, Applejack had a few funny moments herself, especially in her losing and regaining her "countryisms", Fluttershy had some very funny physical humor (I always find it delightfully hilarious to see how panicky and on edge she can be when the fate of the rest of the group is on her shoulders; she's still brave, don't get me wrong, but she always still looks two steps away from just absolutely losing it  ), and the rest in general all had their own moments of humor throughout.  Spike, for the little that he was in it, was quite funny himself; I don't know why, but for some reason I thought his "Is that new?... I like it!" line was oddly hilarious, and I look forward to seeing more of the little guy.  The map itself is a wonderful bit of animation (not to mention it doesn't seem like a particularly forced plot device, but rather came across as quite natural in its appearance), and I look forward to seeing what new locations the Mane 6 will travel to this season.  Beyond that, there's not much else for me to talk about with these two, so let's wrap things up, shall we?

 

Concluding Remarks

 

Season 5 is off to a grand start, if I do say so myself.  For some reason, going into today I felt more confident about DHX's handle over this season's direction than the previous two.  I don't know why I felt that way, but it seems my confidence was well placed.  As I said before, more than anything, this was a smart season opener!  It was excellently written, paced, animated, and executed, and even though it wasn't exactly grand in scale, it seems to portend greater things to come, and I for one look forward to seeing just how exactly this very promising season unfolds.  I get the feeling that this season's going to explore some very interesting canon and facets of Equestria and the magical world these ponies inhabit itself, and I think it's going to be just wonderful to watch.  Most importantly of all, the ponies are back, they're better than ever, and I just can't wait to see what new and wonderful adventures they all embark on.  I'm sure we're all going to have a simply marvelous time watching it all together, and can't wait to share in the fun, laughs, and magic of friendship with each and every one of you.  Until next week, this is Batbrony signing off.  I'm off! *cue dramatic exit... of friendship!*

[Shanks 10,816]

because I feel that nationalism - regardless of what type of government ideology is being used - is something that holds almost the whole world back.

I think you are reading a bit much into it, yes the paralels to Communism as well as various other collectivist ideologies is indeed there but I don't think that the alternative they are advocating in this episode is necessarily nationalism. Also many strains of Communism have elements of nationalism to them actually, it all depends. I see this episode more as a condemnation of conformity in general, the fact that ponies chose to not live with cutie marks wasn't the issue here.

 

The issues was that they were tricked into doing so under false pretenses, they thought that if they stripped themselves of their individual identities that they would be happy but any happiness they had was essentially false. How many of us have been pressured into conforming believing that if we simply complied that we would be happy? How many of us tried to follow a crowd to gain acceptance and forgetting who we are in the process? Sure the example given was a tad more extreme than most of us here are going to experience but the point is still quite valid. It is allegory albeit an exaggerated one for what so many have to go through on a daily basis.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

If an entire philosophy crumbles when one accounts for human equine evil, then maybe it was a ridiculous philosophy to begin with.

Actually, what makes Starlight Glimmer's "utopia" interesting, as well as her character, is that the world system of Equestria is already far more fair than global capitalism, and lacks many of its evils while staying clear of the dark side of communism. She must have some reason for wanting to rule over a population who is otherwise suppressed under the illusion of equality. I would assume she has failed to measure up to other ponies at some point in her life, but I imagine we will find out about that in due time.

[Rosemary Comet 76]

I really liked this. I also liked the effect of the equality cutie mark. And they started to slowly to grey...I wonder where they got that from.

[#1FluttershyFan 206]

I'm wondering about how the mane 6 didn't guess that Starlight Glimmer still had her cutie mark. It was evident in the town that if you didn't have your cutie mark, all your colors would become more grey and Starlight Glimmer's color was bright all throughout the episode. Even when the mane 6 were robbed of their cutie marks, their colors darkened so it seemed obvious that something was up with Starlight Glimmer. 

Also, am I the only one who thinks her name sounds a lot like Sunset Shimmer. Could that be hinting that she could become another reformed villain? Just a thought.

[takai 1,060]

So my DVR said it as going to record the episodes, and it didn't. So I had to find it somewhere to watch it. Thank God someone uploaded it on YouTube. I was seriously pissed this morning.

 

This was a solid opener. It felt like it had a different vibe to it. It felt serious, or more mature. The idea of taking cutie marks away and establishing this new found equality was a really intriguing idea. I did like the little twist they added with Starlight. And of course, best pony Fluttershy saves the day!

 

The animation looks to have gotten even better since last season too. We got to see new facial expressions like Fluttershy's cute smile, and Starlight's extremely angry face even had a vain popping out.

 

The comedy was good whether it was Starlight telling Twilight to shut up, which was hilarious, or even the non-verbal ones like when Double Diamond went up to Rarity in the background and Rarity was looking around so awkwardly.

 

Starlight herself was surprisingly seductive in a way. She had this sexy attitude and I really liked that about her. I also like how she's partially crazy, and seeing that she was able to escape, hopefully that means we'll see her again soon. Probably in the finale. I also want to point out the fact that I'm glad she got away, instead of the cliche of "rounding up the bad guy and going home" or "making the bad guy see the error of their ways". It was refreshing in that regard.

 

I also want to add how freakin' cute Sugar Bell is.

 

I really only had two main issues with the episodes. The episode started really quickly. Like, within like a minute the map showed up and they knew what they had to do. It just started a little too quick for me. The second problem is that there were some cheap conveniences that moved the plot forward, like the water splashing on Starlight Glimmer. I think that could've been handled better.

 

And hey, what better way to end an episode than with a random Wilhelm scream?

 

Overall, I like how it started. I can't wait to see more awesome stuff this season 

Edited April 4, 2015 by takai

[Declen 118]

I just seem to don't get Starlight Glimmer's communism march song out of my head... the last time I got that caught by a song was bats... will probably be a long night

И вновь продолжается бой!

И сердцу тревожно в груди!

И Ленин такой молодой!

И юный Октябрь впереди.

 

The song was written in a maybe most boring and uneventful period of sovjet history.

[dekutree64 713]

And neither is egalitarianism necessarily a bad thing.  In fact, the best way to characterize the episode is "Tall Poppy Syndrome", which Starlight certainly had a bad case of.

Yeah, this is exactly the problem. Social equality =/= personality and skill-set equality. If you cut down the skilled people, you lose that which enables you to create a society where everyone can have a decent level of comfort and safety.

 

Interestingly, this episode was better in hindsight than it was while watching. For one thing, art-wise it's quite bland... which is kind of the point of the story, that you need some variation to make things interesting. And I was afraid they'd just say communism is evil, without giving enough explanation why. But it was quite nicely done, with Pinkie following her intuition, Fluttershy being totally open to the idea, and even Twilight investigating the situation and coming to the conclusion that they all seem happy with their choice and should be free to live like this if they want. But then it turns out it's not a choice, and the leader is evil... so that's the problem, not the lifestyle itself.

 

Also, this is awesome:

 

WWII propaganda... you know, for kids