S05:E01+02 - The Cutie Map

[The Cynical Lone Wolf 614]

More else I think it over, the rip off part of Shimmer isnt my problem. What does bother me  is there is no "why"?

Why is Starlight doing this?

She's just evil; no in today's storytelling that isn't acceptable. Heck every villain in MLP had really great motivations(expect Sombra) or why they are doing what they are doing; Starlight there's is none, not even back story. Ive seen better villains then her(excluding who's  she's ripoff, BTW there is a difference between ripoff , parody, and homage). I also dont like how it wasn't explained how the ponies were getting brainwashed;  Was she doing like The Master or what? Heck she's she has a great concept,but with no why attached to her, I fell iffy about her. Until I see a exploitation of her character, I will go back and watch Korra season 1, which has her character concept  done right.  

Edited April 5, 2015 by COBLoneWolf

[Marine_Vet_Brony 317]

Well that episode was a huge let down.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Marine_Vet_Brony

[Cadance of Love 1,118]

There were some Cringing moments for me.. at times I wanted Fluttershy to stop acting too kind to the Town's ponies..

the part where Starlight Glimmer's cutie Mark was shown to the town was the turning point for the premier that made this a good Opener. Still not my Favorite premier episode though..

 

Still it's good to see more of our Adorable little ponies after that drought we had.

[Buttonmash1973 1,024]

That was a perfect way to open S5.

[Ace O. Jade 122]

Let me see if I can simplify my argument. The episode seems to imply that the Mane Six's talents aren't natural, as if their talents come from their cutie marks. It's like they're saying, "You discover what you're good at when you get your cutie mark," whereas "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" said the exact opposite: "You'll get your cutie mark when you realize what you're good at." I mean, for crying out loud, Applejack couldn't even talk right. This is in complete contrast to "The CMC", where it was shown that these ponies had these special abilities all along, long before they got their cutie marks. How getting their cutie marks taken away strips them of all personality (in the case of Pinkie, anyway) and ability makes no sense.

 

Alright, that's fair enough. It certainly was odd that when the Mane 6 lost their cutie marks, they started losing other core parts of their personalities (Applejack's country-isms are the main thing I'm citing here, as Pinkie Pie's erratic personality is tied directly into her talent/cutie mark). The only explanation that comes to mind presently is that Starlight Glimmer's "cutie unmarking" purposefully takes away extreme personality traits in addition to talents/destinies, and in addition it probably takes away anything else that could lead to too much individualism. It is noticeable that aside from the scene where the three dissenters are revealed, the equalized townfolk did act almost identically to one another, especially Double Diamond and Party Favor when first welcoming the Mane 6.

 

Essentially, I think that Starlight Glimmer didn't take away talents, she tried to take away every aspect that could lead to large degrees of individualism. That includes personalities in addition to talents.

[smitty121325 64]

Is it just me or are the villains getting kind of bland? One of the major problems I have with the villains is that none of them are ever given a clear motivation for why they're doing what they're doing, aside from Princess Luna. Starlight Glimmer seems to follow this trend, as we never learned her motivation or how she developed this backwards thinking in terms of friendship. This lack of a motivation makes it very hard to like or care about these villains. Not giving them a motivation makes them seem less three-dimensional. I hope we get more information on this new villain, but knowing these writers, I'm guessing not. But, hey, it makes for great fanfic fuel.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

SPOILER ALERT!

So I watched the brand new MLP season 5 2-part episode. I LOVED IT! I think the writers were extremely brave and took a ton of risks that paid off beautifully. The theme is AMAZING and profound. I am surprised a theme with Marxism/Communism tones got produced and I'm very happy. I find it interesting that it focused on all of the girls rather than just Twilight like the way the last few 2 parters focused on Twilight's character growth. Fluttershy's screen time was interesting. I like that they gave Fluttershy a lot to do but I'm not sure if I like how easily Fluttershy was taken by the "niceness" of the villagers. I like what Fluttershy did at the end. Starlight Glimmer was a cool bad guy and I like how we find out she studies magic and her whole interaction with Twilight after Twilight puts up the forcefield. Looks like I was right about Starlight being a foil to Twilight. I wonder if Starlight will appear again since she just escaped. I never would have expected Starlight to escape. The animation itself was AMAZING especially Pinkie's cookie bloat/sick expression. I have no idea how they managed to make Pinkie's face contort that way and so fluidly. The only flaw I really noticed was maybe the pacing seemed a bit faster than the other 2 parters but that may not be a bad thing. btw the season 5 show opening is the same except for a spilt second image of the castle. 3 questions popped up as I was watching, why can magic be used to remove cutie marks but not make them appear? Does the = cutie mark remove all magic like what Tirek did? If so why can the pegasus ponies still fly(or fly a little anyway)? 

[hawkflame 3,308]

Without question best premiere since season 2,

 

1) for once it's not the Twilight Sparkle show. In fact, you can argue that Fluttershy got as much attention as she did. But on the whole it was about the dynamic of the whole group that taught the values in the episode.

 

2) the whole feel was actually rather creepy. You could tell that something was really off the whole time, and when it went into full blown communism allegory, forget it. The way that they're stuck there and seemingly cut off from the rest of Equestria, the blaring propaganda as they're locked away in their "re-education center", how they've incentivized ratting out ponies who "break the rules,". Hell, even the mane styles are straight out of Stalinist communism- did you know that North Korea has a list of state sanctioned hairstyles for men and women? Creepy, I know.

 

What a compelling start to the season.

[rjrgmc28 130]

Before I begin my recap and thoughts of the episode apologies if I'm bit late in posting this. I've had to write my usual episode recap blog post without getting sick again and I wasn't up to the challenge in writing a recap without having to think about a certain scene that almost made me lose my dinner. I'll get on to why a little bit later in this post, but let's get into the recap and thoughts of this episode.

To quote my tweet from this morning:

"Wow. What a ride. That season opener was an intense one! A great start to the new series!"

This episode for me was a mixed bag. While I enjoyed the episode and the story, I couldn’t even think of going through with a second screening for a little while.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I was really getting into the episode until “that” scene with the cutie un-marking happened. I couldn't watch that scene without my PTSD and anxiety getting in the way and I had to turn away from my monitor. I only had the audio of the episode to rely on for that segment and even that didn’t stop me from almost losing it. I never felt that way before when I watched the show and I am still wondering why it happened.
 
However, I have to give credit to the show staff for actually going in that direction. I actually made a point about that on one of my tweets during the live screening:
 
"This episode is dark. I don't mean dark in the form of night, but this has taken the series in a new direction."

Overall, while I enjoyed the episode I won’t be seeing this one again any time soon.
 
I have also have written my full thoughts on the episode itself on my blog, which can be viewed here.

[Wicked Funky 2,955]

Im looking forward to seeing/ hearing more about the 8 magical object... Maybe some conection with Starswirl? I can only hope

[Gearbox10mm 794]

Hey guys, you want to watch a show about forced brainwashing and indoctrination into a communist cult? Oh, did I mention it's a My Little Pony cartoon?

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

HOW HAVE NONE OF YOU POINTED THIS OUT YET 

 

ITS A MOUNTAIN, WITH A FUCKING SKULL ON IT.

 

 

As for the episode itself, amazing 9/10

[Soaring Symphony 372]

Does anypony know if that town has a name??????  If so, what is it?????  I know that question is a little off topic but I don't really think it warrants it's own thread. 

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

Also, in the season 5 post I said "She seems like an anti Twilight, she belives in friendship, but she thinks people can only be friends when they are equal, so the name makes a lot of sense." I FUCKING CALLED IT BABYYYY

[Abia 258]

This was a good opener, but it could have been better. I'm not going to talk about the conformist undertones, though, since those don't really interest me; I was surprised at how bold the episode was, but was neither upset nor pleased by its message.

While I didn't personally get the interpretation that the episode was not about anti-conformism but was about making friends with people who are different than you, I much prefer that to my own interpretation.

 

I think it's silly to say that the episode wasn't political at all, however. I highly doubt that the line "Nopony left behind" was a coincidence.

 

I think they kind of dropped the ball when it came to Starlight Shimmer as an antagonist. Did the episode really need an antagonist? The enemy could have been tradition; the point could have been to think originally and not base all your opinions on those of your ancestors. The plot was solid even without a mastermind behind it.

What was the message here? Different people can still be friends. One disagreement doesn't ruin a friendship. The world would be boring/meaningless if everyone was the same. The general theme was unity, contrasting sometimes wavering but unique unity to stale unity with sameness.

 

My theory while watching this episode was that Starlight Shimmer was somewhat a good pony. She had to be different in some way because she was the only villager without muted colors. I thought, before The Big Reveal, that Starlight had the original cutie mark and was trying to create a society modeled after her. Seriously, what was Starlight trying to do? Was she only trying to unite the ponies? Did she seriously believe in what she preached? Did she have an evil scheme to execute once she'd accumulated enough power? Were the collected cutie marks only collected for the sake of sameness, or did she plan to use their power for something else? I'll be rewatching the episodes later tonight, so I'll rethink those questions, but I really didn't know what her goal was.

 

About her as a villain... she was fine. Decent character. Kind of disappointing. While the plot was worthy of a season opener, Starlight Shimmer's character felt like something from a filler episode. She wasn't weak, but she wasn't a Boss.

I'd love to see the mane six battling a villain that didn't actually have a tangible character, and I felt like this episode could have been a great opportunity for that. The point of the premiere was to embrace each other's differences, right? Why did we need an antagonist for that?

Take that village--it was never given a name (?), so I'll just call it Our Village--and get rid of Starlight Shimmer. Double Diamond is probably the highest authority then. Okay, the mane six encounter a town where everyone has the same cutie mark. An ancient magic tradition creates this Sameness, also reducing physical abilities (running speed, mane style, etc.; what was illustrated in the episode other than special talents). The philosophy that "To excel is to fail" and that differences cause misery is not something preached by any one specific pony, but a belief that was passed down from generation to generation, like Winter Wrap-Up. In this alternate scenario, the mane six would need to change the mindset of the entire town. Most would be resistant, especially those who had reinforced these traditions their entire lives (Double Diamond), but they would not have one leader to tell them how to think--they would function by telling each other what to think. Peer pressure, essentially, not pressure from a higher authority, or that which was illustrated in the episode. Instead of uniting ponies against a common enemy, the mane six would have to teach the villagers to be accepting of new ideas and customs.

 

Honestly, I'd love to see an episode where the ponies work on this rather than attacking a mastermind. There have been episodes like this, but they've focused on individual characters, not beliefs spanning or affecting large portions of Equestria (which is what many of the openers and closers--eternal night/Nightmare Moon, eternal chaos/Discord, eternally hosting parasites/Queen Chrysalis, eternally being haunted or chained or made miserable/King Sombra, eternally having a dictator/Tirek, eternally being identical/Starlight Shimmer--have done). While the other themes of Boss episodes did have a clear villain, this episode did not, and could have gotten its point across without having a single villain.

 

I'd like the show to address firmly and completely that sometimes there is no villain, but it's narrow-mindedness that causes chaos and discontent. I want something like this, not in a single episode on an individual scale, but something affecting lots of ponies, maybe even the whole of Equestria. Like... I dunno... gay rights or something (not in the show, just comparing to a real-life scenario). If you're pro-LGBT, there isn't really one select villain to fight against to legalize gay marriage. It's the traditional thought process that needs to be rethought. If you're anti-LGBT, compare it to slavery.

While there are leaders in issues such as conformism, LGBT rights, and slavery, it is generally the ideas and narrow mindsets that need to be changed. There is no villain behind it.

[Ace O. Jade 122]

HOW HAVE NONE OF YOU POINTED THIS OUT YET 

 

ITS A MOUNTAIN, WITH A FUCKING SKULL ON IT.

 

 

As for the episode itself, amazing 9/10

 

Oh.

Woah.

The ponies better be going there at some point. At least, Dashie would love it if they did.

[dekutree64 711]

HOW HAVE NONE OF YOU POINTED THIS OUT YET 

 

ITS A MOUNTAIN, WITH A FUCKING SKULL ON IT.

 

 

As for the episode itself, amazing 9/10

 

I really hope we get to see that place this season.

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

Oh.

Woah.

The ponies better be going there at some point. At least, Dashie would love it if they did.

 

 

 

I really hope we get to see that place this season.

I know right, you cant have one of the most interesting things on the map and NOT got to explore it, I wouldnt even be suprised if that was the entrance to Tartarus

[lilysavage 4]

I loved the episode! It was awesome! Maybe it was made more awesome because I've been waiting for so long for MLP to return (absence makes the heart grow fonder, anyone?). But I loved how Starlight Glimmer wasn't reformed in the end. I also loved how it Starlight Glimmer was Twilight's opposite! I think I can sniff out a season finale plot already! Evil reflections, anyone?

[Batbrony 15,994]

Actually, Equestria's already been shown to have private ownership, commerce, and barely (if at all) regulated markets. It has its upper, middle, and lower classes, and a strong agricultural economy. If anything, it's a kind of ideal capitalism.

 

In fact, we don't see a whole lot of government at all outside of Canterlot. Is there even a tax system?

 

Oh, I'm guessing there are taxes (what government in world history doesn't have taxes to some extent?), it's just not really a subject that comes up in the show.  But I do think your surmising their economy as a whole as an ideal capitalism is probably accurate from what we've seen in the show.  The diarchy in Equestria and monarchy in the Crystal Empire don't really seem to get involved in ponies' fiscal affairs; they're more like theological rulers more than anything in that they're the guardians and propagators of those ethical and more metaphysical values and components that make Equestria as harmonious a society as it is.  Very interesting, that way, and I like that fan fiction universes like the Winningverse have actually written into their fanon that there are cults (in the more classical, paganistic sense, not the modern day exploitative sense) in Equestria that revolve around the worship of figures like Celestia.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

This was a good opener, but it could have been better. I'm not going to talk about the conformist undertones, though, since those don't really interest me; I was surprised at how bold the episode was, but was neither upset nor pleased by its message.

While I didn't personally get the interpretation that the episode was not about anti-conformism but was about making friends with people who are different than you, I much prefer that to my own interpretation.

 

I think it's silly to say that the episode wasn't political at all, however. I highly doubt that the line "Nopony left behind" was a coincidence.

 

I think they kind of dropped the ball when it came to Starlight Shimmer as an antagonist. Did the episode really need an antagonist? The enemy could have been tradition; the point could have been to think originally and not base all your opinions on those of your ancestors. The plot was solid even without a mastermind behind it.

What was the message here? Different people can still be friends. One disagreement doesn't ruin a friendship. The world would be boring/meaningless if everyone was the same. The general theme was unity, contrasting sometimes wavering but unique unity to stale unity with sameness.

 

My theory while watching this episode was that Starlight Shimmer was somewhat a good pony. She had to be different in some way because she was the only villager without muted colors. I thought, before The Big Reveal, that Starlight had the original cutie mark and was trying to create a society modeled after her. Seriously, what was Starlight trying to do? Was she only trying to unite the ponies? Did she seriously believe in what she preached? Did she have an evil scheme to execute once she'd accumulated enough power? Were the collected cutie marks only collected for the sake of sameness, or did she plan to use their power for something else? I'll be rewatching the episodes later tonight, so I'll rethink those questions, but I really didn't know what her goal was.

 

About her as a villain... she was fine. Decent character. Kind of disappointing. While the plot was worthy of a season opener, Starlight Shimmer's character felt like something from a filler episode. She wasn't weak, but she wasn't a Boss.

I'd love to see the mane six battling a villain that didn't actually have a tangible character, and I felt like this episode could have been a great opportunity for that. The point of the premiere was to embrace each other's differences, right? Why did we need an antagonist for that?

Take that village--it was never given a name (?), so I'll just call it Our Village--and get rid of Starlight Shimmer. Double Diamond is probably the highest authority then. Okay, the mane six encounter a town where everyone has the same cutie mark. An ancient magic tradition creates this Sameness, also reducing physical abilities (running speed, mane style, etc.; what was illustrated in the episode other than special talents). The philosophy that "To excel is to fail" and that differences cause misery is not something preached by any one specific pony, but a belief that was passed down from generation to generation, like Winter Wrap-Up. In this alternate scenario, the mane six would need to change the mindset of the entire town. Most would be resistant, especially those who had reinforced these traditions their entire lives (Double Diamond), but they would not have one leader to tell them how to think--they would function by telling each other what to think. Peer pressure, essentially, not pressure from a higher authority, or that which was illustrated in the episode. Instead of uniting ponies against a common enemy, the mane six would have to teach the villagers to be accepting of new ideas and customs.

 

Honestly, I'd love to see an episode where the ponies work on this rather than attacking a mastermind. There have been episodes like this, but they've focused on individual characters, not beliefs spanning or affecting large portions of Equestria (which is what many of the openers and closers--eternal night/Nightmare Moon, eternal chaos/Discord, eternally hosting parasites/Queen Chrysalis, eternally being haunted or chained or made miserable/King Sombra, eternally having a dictator/Tirek, eternally being identical/Starlight Shimmer--have done). While the other themes of Boss episodes did have a clear villain, this episode did not, and could have gotten its point across without having a single villain.

 

I'd like the show to address firmly and completely that sometimes there is no villain, but it's narrow-mindedness that causes chaos and discontent. I want something like this, not in a single episode on an individual scale, but something affecting lots of ponies, maybe even the whole of Equestria. Like... I dunno... gay rights or something (not in the show, just comparing to a real-life scenario). If you're pro-LGBT, there isn't really one select villain to fight against to legalize gay marriage. It's the traditional thought process that needs to be rethought. If you're anti-LGBT, compare it to slavery.

While there are leaders in issues such as conformism, LGBT rights, and slavery, it is generally the ideas and narrow mindsets that need to be changed. There is no villain behind it.

Lots of kids and older fans of the show have religious or culture traditions so I don't think your idea could be executed in a way where it is enough of a clear moral. At least not yet... It could get too sticky. 

Edited April 5, 2015 by StitchandMLPlover

[John Locke N7 52]

Someone make a Sugar Bell plushy NOW!!!!

[Miss Pinkamena 41]

I liked it a lot, but it reminded me of Season 2 when Discord used the Mane 6's cutie marks against them... either way, I liked the originality of the episode, and let's face it, there's gonna be a love triangle between Pinkie, Cheese Sandwich, and Party Favor now.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

I think Starlight Glimmer is the best villain we've had and by far the most compelling. This episode is about as perfect as it gets imo and is a top 3 episode for me. Probably the deepest themes explored yet and they freakin nailed them.

[Abia 258]

Lots of kids and older fans of the show have religious or culture traditions so I don't think your idea could be executed in a way where it enough of a clear moral. It could get too sticky.

 

It wouldn't have to apply to any specific culture, and could even address some completely random, made up belief (or at least something that's established enough in our society that it's almost universally agreed upon--e.g. people shouldn't be forced to do labor without their consent, people shouldn't endeavor to make others miserable, people shouldn't be judged solely on their appearance--many themes like this are accepted enough that it wouldn't cause any controversy if they were included in the show, and several already has been; that's what makes it a show about good morals!). It doesn't have to pertain to anything in the real world. They could make an episode where the moral is "Don't make fun of others", and the only antagonist is a culture in which mockery is accepted and encouraged.