S05:E01+02 - The Cutie Map

[UnknownFry 169]

I liked it. It was a good solid start to Season 5, but also somewhat underwhelming compared to Rainbow Rocks and Twilight's Kingdom. It did an interesting job of conveying the message it attempted to do while putting in in the framework to Starlight's little utopia clashing against Twilight's ideals on what friendship means, and it did a better a job of balancing things out as Fluttershuy, Twilight, and the town ponies all got their chances to shine as well as Starlight.

 

8 magical artifacts of Meadow brook was also rather intriguing.

Edited April 6, 2015 by UnknownFry

[ACoolDuel 0]

The way cutie marks were used in this episode was really weird. Earlier, it seemed that cutie marks are decided by the pony's personality, but it this episode, it seemed like the cutie mark is what decides their personality. I hope they do more with cutie marks this season! 

[Coco before Pommel 678]

I'm just about to rewatch cause I watched this ep for the first time in a crowd of people talking and livestream problems but first impressions: really liked it! Definitely a very different tone to previous openers, and I agree it might seem a bit subdued after the S4 finale epicness, but not necessarily a bad thing~

 

The whole creepy town/brainwashing aspect was really something new, and very creepy! I thought they built up the tension really well, and the M6's reactions - as others have mentioned, I really loved that Pinkie was the one to immediately pick up on something being off, which just goes to show she's not stupid - she knows real happiness when she sees it, because making ponies happy is what she's all about. And her expressions were great XD The contrast between her and Fluttershy was interesting in that way...it totally made sense to me that Fluttershy would be all "oh look how nice everypony is! :D", but I'm glad they didn't go the route of her being for realsies taken in by the cult and the others having to get her out. But you could see how, if she didn't have the rest of the M6 around her and was vulnerable, etc, she might have been, which I think was a good way of showing how the whole cult mentality works and the equal-ponies felt pressurised to fit in with whatever Starlight Glimmer was saying, for fear of being alone/everypony turning on them, and especially targeting less confident ponies (like Fluttershy would have seemed, and might have once been - we all know, though, she's a lot tougher than she looks). Creepy stuff D:

 

Speaking of, I loved Starlight Glimmer as a villain (and the song! idk if it's This Day Aria-quality just yet, but always appreciate a good villain song) - I like that she's so different from the previous season big bads, because she's just a regular pony, not a weird creature like Discord/Chrysalis/Tirek etc - and yet she has so much power over everypony in the village, and there were a couple of little moments that showed how scared they all were of her - she seems so lovely and sweet and ~just wants the best for everypony, but she could snap at any minute - also, I loved her interrupting Twilight's big speech XD The spray-on cutie mark reveal was awesome, and the whole thing with the staff not being special is a nice touch - so that means Starlight was just removing everypony's cutie marks herself? Cause that's gotta be some high-level magic...and did/does she have a plan for the wall of cutie marks, since she presumably doesn't actually believe in the equality she preaches and is just out for power/some other goal?? So many unanswered questions...I'm pretty sure she's coming back, since they surely can't just leave it with her running away like that (all other villains have met some more permanent fate), and I really, really hope we get to learn more about her and her motivations if/when she does.

 

I admit, I do sorta wish the M6 had gotten to do a bit more (besides Fluttershy - damn, I was so scared for her when Starlight was questioning her about who had betrayed them ;~; ) because I was a bit meh on the new characters...I can never remember their names except Party Favor, who I admit does give good meme face XD But for whatever reason, they didn't interest me that much - maybe they'll grow on me on rewatch? But it does make sense with the theme of the M6 ~spreading the magic of friendship~ and them learning that Starlight's way isn't the only way, it's great to be different and blah blah, so I understand why they did that.

 

Overall though, I loved the episode, can't wait to rewatch and bring on the rest of S5!!! ^___^

[Carolina 212]

Hey, you know what would be awesome? If the Sirens showed up in "Our Town" to teach the Equalizers a lesson!

 

"Why pretend we're all the same when some of us shine brighter? Here's a chance to find your flame! Are you a loser or a fighter? You and me, me and you, lets find out who is better. We don't have to be one in the same thing. Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition? Are you afraid of failing the audition?"

 

Anyway, just want to say I really like how the show/movie series approaches both sides and discusses how either extreme can be harmful. Too much competition and you're Siren food, too much equality and you're stuck in Starlight Glimmer's "Utopia." Beyond that, someone needs to do a mash up of "In Our Town" and "Battle of the Bands!"

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Hey, you know what would be awesome? If the Sirens showed up in "Our Town" to teach the Equalizers a lesson!

 

"Why pretend we're all the same when some of us shine brighter? Here's a chance to find your flame! Are you a loser or a fighter? You and me, me and you, lets find out who is better. We don't have to be one in the same thing. Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition? Are you afraid of failing the audition?"

 

Anyway, just want to say I really like how the show/movie series approaches both sides and discusses how either extreme can be harmful. Too much competition and you're Siren food, too much equality and you're stuck in Starlight Glimmer's "Utopia." Beyond that, someone needs to do a mash up of "In Our Town" and "Battle of the Bands!"

 

Yah know, that exact point was brought by Silver Quill and Dr. Wolf, and it's actually mind-boggling how deep it actually is. The Mane 6 pretty much represent that balance between the two sides, and Twilight has now encountered both enemies.

 

Yah know, it'd be interesting to see if these Siren's did invade The Town and how they're musical brainwashing would affect the town's views, and how Starlight would react.

[ScarfaceOne 263]

I would rather have socialism than communism though. The lesson in this episode was, just because you want everyone to be equal doesn't mean you should suppress their talent. And this moral is explored in Animal Farm and Harrison Bergeron. All Animals are equal but some are more equal than others. The ''More Equal'' being those who gain privileges yet still are treated humbly by society. A Socialism nation would work, so long as special talent isn't suppressed. I Still think that this episode wasn't best to show kids though.

Yah know, that exact point was brought by Silver Quill and Dr. Wolf, and it's actually mind-boggling how deep it actually is. The Mane 6 pretty much represent that balance between the two sides, and Twilight has now encountered both enemies.

 

Yah know, it'd be interesting to see if these Siren's did invade The Town and how they're musical brainwashing would affect the town's views, and how Starlight would react.

 

Competition vs Equality Huh? Well, that's what most Formula racing series(apart from Indycar and F1) are. In GP2 or single-make series. Equality of the cars is combined with Skill of the drivers. Whereas in most it's usually all competition. I say, competition is good so long as there are no bad winners or sore losers. Special Talent+Combine+Equality+Shared Ownership+labour power=Good Socialism. Which according to one of my sisters is theoretically the best political system. Puts a new meaning to the term Russian Reversal. In Soviet Russia, Government owns you, in Socialist Russia, You own government.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

I completely agree. Starlight is one of those villains that honestly doesnt see herself as the villain, but has a genuine goal to help everypony see her point of view. But at the same time, their is some mystery to her. Was that her only motive? It seems like she has a master plan for all of Equestria. Plus, she is the first villain to not be (completely) thwarted by the mane six. AND SHE GOT AWAY! That has NEVER happened to an MLP villain.

Kind of reminds me of Kang the Conquerer from the Avengers books. His goal for wanting to destroy the Avengers was to save the world in the long run from catastrophy. 

It seems to me that her motive was to turn ALL of Equestria equal. Maybe. 

 

Hey, you know what would be awesome? If the Sirens showed up in "Our Town" to teach the Equalizers a lesson!

 

"Why pretend we're all the same when some of us shine brighter? Here's a chance to find your flame! Are you a loser or a fighter? You and me, me and you, lets find out who is better. We don't have to be one in the same thing. Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition? Are you afraid of failing the audition?"

 

Anyway, just want to say I really like how the show/movie series approaches both sides and discusses how either extreme can be harmful. Too much competition and you're Siren food, too much equality and you're stuck in Starlight Glimmer's "Utopia." Beyond that, someone needs to do a mash up of "In Our Town" and "Battle of the Bands!"

I thought about the sirens after watching the episode too. Maybe there is a reason Aria looks similar to Starlight? Great point. There needs to be a balance. According to the auto commentary on the "Rainbow Rocks" DVD the lines you cited were specifically designed to show that not all of what the sirens said is bad but the sirens took it WAY to far and Starlight took it too far in the opposite direction. 

[simba86 1,541]

Is it just me, or did the villagers seem like Communists? Just a thought...

 

there was a little bit of it, but they was more like a brainwashed cult

[ggg-2 3,553]

I noticed Party Favor was a unicorn. But he used his hooves when he was doing the stuff with the balloons. Did he even use magic at all?

[Omar 692]

I noticed Party Favor was a unicorn. But he used his hooves when he was doing the stuff with the balloons. Did he even use magic at all?

He probably used his magic to generate the balloons.

[Castle Bleck 19,359]

Question: What would Starlight have done to Spike? Turn him into a Pony, then give him an equal-sign Cutie Mark?

Edited April 6, 2015 by A.V.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Question: What would Starlight have done to Spike? Turn him into a Pony, then give him an equal-sign Cutie Mark?

 

She might've had him thrown out or imprisoned for being a lesser species. Starlight seriously smells of fascism to me; though I may be off base.

[Freewave 1,145]

Never thought I'd see a whole episode about the dangers of communism, let alone a 2-parter. Good episode even if a little preachy. Some deeper symbolism there underneath.

[Sobana 100]

The animation picked up a good deal. The train traveling at the screen for once and Pinkie having a pretty solid body change after eating all the muffins without getting to cartoonish. I liked it.

[Winona the Dog 1,984]

Hoofball stats = Fantasy football league

 

Maybe that's just me but I really feel like that was the parallel.

 

That or Spike was trying to reinforce his masculinity

[girlbrony 5]

I have to say this was a great  episode but I would have liked to see more songs other than 'In our town', which I'm not saying it was a bad song, but I would have liked to see more. I liked this episode because it had a very Stepfroad wifes feel to it, which was nice to see.Although there are people like us the bronys and pegasisters, the target demographic was always younger children, but it did feel like it is 'maturing' more which is always nice to see from the show. 

[Gearbox10mm 794]

Besides a couple very minor complaints about some of the voice acting and a few animation errors I really can't find much wrong with the episode. I give it a 4.5 out of 5. 

[kageyuki 59]

I liked the episode tho i hated Party Favor sorry   and I think Starlight will come back again 

[Winona the Dog 1,984]

It's like having water after a long time of not drinking it

 

 

It tastes so good and I think that rule applies to this episode. I do like how they tried to include everyone into the episode and I like the fact other ponies are stepping in to help out

[LongGoneGr 1,305]

I will finally see this episode tonight!!!

[Samurai Equine 51,425]

Wow. What a season premiere. The fact that Starlight got away was just cold... You know we'll be seeing her again later in the series!

Here's hoping for the best season yet! 

[The Second Opinion 270]

I was definitely glad that the theme turned out to be more conformity in general, rather than communism specifically. That's much more applicable and better for exploring the characters. (Communism, let's face it, has become a punching bag villain in the world of fantasy and sci-fi stories. Most everyone you're showing it to already knows how to hit it, and none of them will ever be attacked by it anyway.) I thought they gave themselves an easy out by making Starlight Glimmer as overtly villainous as she was, but they still managed to get a couple strong statements in there. I took the staff being fake as a reminder that there is no "devine power" that can will everyone to be like this. For people to conform like that in such a large and unanimous group, there has to be someone organizing it and making sure it stays that way who's not equal to them at all.

Otherwise, as a new conflict, it was pretty enjoyable challenge for the main 6, and I thought it was more cohesive than many of the past 2 parters. But it's definitely not the best one. They rushed a few different points, like how easily everyone living in their own "utopia" was convinced to rally behind the exact opposite by Starlight Glimmer's exposure, and neither the passion nor the excitement quite measures up to the others. By the end, it feels like we've seen just another adventure, not a big, significant stepping stone in the lives of the main characters. 

[Doctor Boojangles 52]

Question: What would Starlight have done to Spike? Turn him into a Pony, then give him an equal-sign Cutie Mark?

Good question, but I don't think her magic has much to do with Cutie Marks and more with taking away what makes them special.

I think a Cutie Mark really represents a level of skill; there's no pre-determined mark but once you get good at something you're Cutie Mark shows it. Twilight was good at magic and got her mark for that, but maybe if she was good at throwing parties she would have Pinkie's mark.

 

TL;DR It would have the same effect.

[killerjag 4]

I see a lot of people sugarcoating communism here, or calling what was shown in the episode fascism or cult. Sorry to break it to you guys, but thats what communism is like(or inevitably becomes). If it looks like a fascist cult to you, you're not wrong, communism is a fascist cult. Just ask eastern europe.

[Twilight Frost 271]

At the end of the series, starlight will steal the cutie marks fo those talanted in magic, including trixie and use their talent to try and beat Twilight who foiled her plans from before.