Season 5 Premier is the opposite of Season 4 finale

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

Season 4's finale was more about style whereas Season 5's premiere was substance. It's already been said that "The Cutie Map" took a more subdued and cerebral stylistic approach as opposed to the bombastic visuals and action of "Twilight's Kingdom".

 

"Twilight's Kingdom" delivered in the departments of action and visuals although it negatively impacted the story, forcing it to rely on logical gaps in Celestia's plan and the takedown of every single pony in Equestria not named Twilight Sparkle in order to thrust her into a spotlight moment at the end. Season 5 seemed to address those issues in finally having an episode climax where the Mane 6's friendship and the alliances made in the episode pay it forward to solving the conflict, and for once it doesn't involve the use of the Elements of Harmony or some other magical device to blast the villain into submission; she actually went down as the result of a battle of wits, and escaped, thus leaving the ending partially open. It did a lot to change the two-parter formula and addressed the story weaknesses of the former two-parters.

[Cleverclover 1,526]

  On 2015-04-10 at 10:02 AM, Imperator Knoedel said:

It was not Twlight on her own that saved the day, but the magic of friendship via rainbow power.

 

Which was mostly an afterthought when compared to the battle, especially since I had been expecting Rainbow Power to do something more exciting than just firing another rainbow friendship laser. 

 

The point is that if McCarthy wasn't planning on having Twilight save the day on her own, then she never should have gifted her a power upgrade in the first place and never should have had the mane five relegated to helpless damsels. The entire battle was narratively pointless. It had no bearing on the plot whatsoever, and only existed for the purpose of glorifying Twilight as well as making bronies crap their pants. 

[BastementSparkle 20,328]

  On 2015-04-10 at 6:11 PM, Cleverclover said:

Which was mostly an afterthought when compared to the battle, especially since I had been expecting Rainbow Power to do something more exciting than just firing another rainbow friendship laser. 

 

The point is that if McCarthy wasn't planning on having Twilight save the day on her own, then she never should have gifted her a power upgrade in the first place and never should have had the mane five relegated to helpless damsels. The entire battle was narratively pointless. It had no bearing on the plot whatsoever, and only existed for the purpose of glorifying Twilight as well as making bronies crap their pants. 

 

Can I ask something? What if Twilight got caught, and the mane 5 had to save her? Does that make Twilight a "Helpless damsel"?

 

 Discord got caught, is Discord a "Helpless Damsel"? I never viewed the mane 5 as helpless in general, even if they were in that scene. Maybe Twilight got the power boost so they could show just how powerful their friendship is? That even the raw power of all those alicorns together doesn't match up to it? That friendship is more powerful than brute force?

 

 I mean, that's what I got from it. Twilight's giant lazer beams of death, as cool as they were, weren't what saved the day. Friendship was.

[Mesme Rize 15,687]

Seriously guys? Does it again need to end in a fight between which episode is better? Like, is it really impossible to like both episodes for different reasons?

 

I admit, this episode was indeed better, infact this was the best 2 parter in the history of this show. But i still had alot of fun with the season 4 finale. Yes, it's not perfect and it has it's problems. But i wouldn't go as far as to say, that it's horrible.

 

No need to get all your tails in a twist.

[Pastel 7,630]

It's two very different kinds of episode, and I for one like both.

I want both styles in the show: the more diversity, the better.