S05:E03 - Castle Sweet Castle

[Pastel 7,627]

Did any of you notice that this is the first time we saw the Inside of Rainbow's house? (I'm pretty sure it's the first at least.)

 

It's not the first time, we saw her room in Read It And Weep, and I'm pretty sure there's another episode where we can quickly see the inside too.

However, we saw a lot of details and rooms in this episode we've never seen before, indeed.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Blobulle

[Mesme Rize 15,681]

I think the episode was good. Not great or masterful, but good.

 

There are some people who say that it's underwhelming, but that happens when you come from an awesome premier, to something like this. Twilight had a nice griefing moment, without being totally over the top (seriously, if you want to watch Twi cry for 20 minutes over her tree, it's the equivilant of me, filming a glass of mayonaise for 10 minutes. It's boring and depressing.) The songs where okay, but they get their points across, which is important. I was surprised, because i was expecting a Twilight centered episode, instead it was more about the other mane 6 characters, which is fine, but just unexpected. I really liked the lesson though, because it also hit close to home for me.

 

All in all, not another classic, but still enjoyable. But please, stop it with the Bulk Biceps jokes. It's not funny anymore. Sorry.

[Miles 2,512]

[0.] To be very honest, the fact that the feels are really subdued until the end is really one of the biggest strengths of this episode. It takes the concept of mourning and gives it a really refreshing twist without feeling too clichéd. Yes, we still see the characters feeling very sad about the Golden Oak Library, and it was great about how they didn't ignore it while not getting that sappy. Not just Twilight's feelings, but her friends', too. They're just as much a part of life as Twilight, making the Library a part of their home, too. It was also rather good how they noticed the problem without being humiliated before Twilight as a result. Having Spike comment about it and distract Twilight was all needed.

 

But a few problems that I noticed.

1. Applejack actually pouring soil in Twilight's castle. There's a certain proportion of suspension of disbelief in Western cartoons, and FIM is no exception. But the idea of her actually pouring soil on top of the cold floor feels way too stupid. It would've been better if there were flowerpots filled with flowers and plants instead. The intent is great, but it felt very out of place.
2. The end "echo" joke at the end of Act 2 sucked. The co-writers went with a specific mood that Twilight would feel sad over having the house not be like home, and Fluttershy et al. had a reason to feel sad. But the second "echo" joke was very out of place and completely killed the mood.
3. While the pacing at the end was fine, the middle felt pretty slow. It kept on going with the ReMane Five conflicting, and having them repeat "clutter" all the time hammers the point too much. Once is fine. Twice is pushing it. Saying the same word over and over again is being blunt and obnoxious. Kids aren't stupid; they know synonyms of the word.
4. Continuity references also got heavy. Everyone here already knows how much the episode depends on continuity. Without it, the characters don't grow. But when they piled on all those references in Act 3, it starts getting weighty at best and relied on at worst. Continuity as a bit more than a cherry is better by keeping it more subtle. Having Twilight mourn in her own way is an excellent reinforcement of continuity without hammering it in.

[5.] To describe another strength to balance the brief negativity out, Spike was really on point here, easily his best role since Simple Ways. While Twilight wanted to come home, he did a great job acting as a foil, providing excuse after excuse to distract her and keep the ReMane Five busy. The comedy he was a part in worked, too, yet didn't have him suffer too much from Bulk Biceps*. Nice to see him be involved while keeping his childlike essence and not degrade him to comedic idiot that victimized him for most of last season. Kudos for the new co-writers for giving him a sense of dignity and not ignoring his crush on Rarity.

 

[6.] Currently, a pretty nice start. Act 3 did a nice job resolving. There are flaws that hurt it somewhat, but not so much that kills CSC entirely. It's nowhere close to the high quality of The Cutie Map, but it does its job.

 

[7.] *Having him be a masseuse really works for him, and it's good to not see him act like the idiot presented from Rainbow Falls. May his character never degrade that badly again!

 

0. Oh, I absolutely agree.  I love that they used the roots of the tree; it's sort of philosophical as to show that the library was the central foundation of their bonding, and like you said, that it is not only Twilight's, but is all the Mane 6's home.  

 

1. Fair enough.  I can understand the "out of place" feeling you got from that.  I won't say that it bothered me (as, it didn't), but I will say you do make a valid point.

 

2. Hmm... I liked that, but, to play devil's advocate: How might your feelings differ if that particular moment (Fluttershy's echo on "sad") had been the one and only echo joke?

 

3. I'm neutral on that.  But I'll just say for the sake of it, that many viewers don't mind repetition to drive a point home.  Fairly shall I also say, it is indeed possible to overdo.

 

4. This point is the one point where I stand in the most opposition to you.  I believe you might be missing the reason for it in the first place.  This episode's core focus was on memories.  How can you call something a home without them?  That's why I feel the references were not only necessary, but greatly beneficial to showing how the Mane 6 have bonded ever so closely more together over the years.  

 

But, I believe that the largest difference between your feelings and mine here is this: relying on the continuity via memories.  You feel that there shouldn't be a reliance on it.  I feel that the reliance on it should come by default if the central focus is that of making the castle her home again.

 

Notice, "again."  The way I see it, by bringing in the roots of the tree from her library, and by calling back upon those memories... is that Twilight is still in the same home, and the only thing that changed is the house itself - or in this case, from a library to a castle (nonetheless are "houses" still).  

 

5. Yes!  Spike was amazing in this, no doubt.  I think the best part was "Oh come on!" when he saw that the corridor in the castle hadn't changed (despite it likely being one of the very few things unchanged).

 

6. I'll give you a touche, but with one condition - a however...  You see, in my mind, it's pretty normal for season pilots and season finales to have higher standards.  I wouldn't expect for the episodes between them to be as mighty.  Not that I am saying that the middle episodes should be expected to be of lesser quality - of course not; but I am just saying, it shouldn't come as a surprise that "Castle Sweet Castle" was not as triumphantly great as "The Cutie Map."  Nonetheless, like I said, you are still right to say that.  

 

7. Lol, I feel the same way.  It's nice to give him a respectful character aspect other than being a stereotypical idiot with all brawn and no brains.  

 

---

 

As to sort of make what would be my own list of negatives about the episode... well, I only have one.

 

When Rainbow Dash took down the portrait, I was a slight peeved.  That was a really good picture, and personally I feel "family/friend portraits" help to add to the "home" aspect.  

 

Other than that, I loved the episode!  I wouldn't have complained about anything else.  

 

~ Miles

[Rosemary Comet 76]

Spike's Rarity doll though.

[Jeric 46,835]

So, Lotus has an accent, but Aloe doesn't?

 

...

 

She studied with Rarity who sounds nothing like her family

Spike's Rarity doll though.

He shops at Equestria Plush I bet.

Does anyone think Pinkie Pie was horribly insensitive in this episode?

 

 

"Remember when it was blown to smithereens?"

 

 

 

Seriously Pinkie? I'm glad your friends made you eat those nasty muffins

 

 

Also, Twilight's new mane was gorgeous~I hope they use it for another pony someday

Nope. I'll tell you why this Season 5 Pinkie should be more palatable to even her detractors: she is now self aware. She has self corrected twice in a row which is EXACTLY what I would expect her to do. Complexity!

[KatieBelle 302]

I really liked the episode, and the song! I love how they harmonized... I just realized how appropriate that is xD!  However Rainbow Dash didn't really sound like herself while singing...  Anyway the brief Sparity was adorable- dat plushie, tho xD!!  and their expressions were really cute, we saw the "clock-is-ticking-Twilight" face for the first time since the first use. And the chandelier is absolutely gorgeous!! 

 

I think I left something out. Oh well, I loved the episode. x3

[Radiance64 7,051]

Watching Applejack pour dirt on the floor of the castle made me hyperventilate.

ikr

neatfreak's worst nightmare

[The Nth Doctor 652]

Ah, yes...

 

Once again Rarity shamelessly uses Spike's crush on her to make him do something 

 

And nice to see it pop back up after 3 seasons of never being seen again

[James A Williams 199]

Minor thoughts in 3, 2, 1:

 

Angel, it was Twilight who made you feel embarrassed, not Fluttershy. There was no need to slam the door on her.

 

The measuring spoon is in one of the pancakes? Oh. I thought it was in my cereal box.

 

"I'm pancake! I mean, awake." - That's cute.

 

Hasn't Rainbow Dash gone to rehab to fix cider addiction problem yet?

 

It was nice to see the Golden Oak Chandelier has memories for Twilight to literally look back to.

 

Bulk Biceps works at the spa now? Okay.

[Mesme Rize 15,681]

Ah, yes...

 

Once again Rarity shamelessly uses Spike's crush on her to make him do something 

 

Some people think that she misuses him. I think that she likes him, but not in a love kind of way. She probably likes him like an aunt likes his nephew and that's okay.

[Emerald Star 513]

I liked it! Everyone was in character, and the humour was great. The songs were nice and the animation is improving. I absolutely loved Spike's portrayal in this. It was such a relief to see him written well, treated like an actual character with just as much integrity as the others. I think this makes up for him being absent for most of the season opener. (Though am I the only one who finds the fact he has a doll of Rarity kind of creepy?)

The emotional moment at the end was done well, it was subtle and I loved the callbacks to previous episodes!

It might have felt a bit rushed, and it's not the best of the series, but still a very good, funny episode.

[Honsou 399]

And she "lacked any empathy when she pummeled Tirek to hell" because he was being a complete sociopath who sent her into a blind rage.

Actually, she didn't lack empathy. After Tirek destroyed everything she'd ever know, she went into a berserk rage, and knew she had to stop him at all costs before he would destroy anything further.

[Fawkes The Phoenix 737]

After how amazing was the last episode this felt kind of "meh", but it's actually pretty good. It gets a little boring at the middle, but how touching (but not cheesy) was the end made up for it. The song was good too, not amazing, but catchy. Hopefully the writers will manage to mantain or even improve the quality in the rest of the episodes.

 

9/10 

[Wicked Funky 2,955]

 

I really liked this episode I like that they made the castle look a bit less dull, The song was great to!

 

Evrypony was in character and it was a really fuuny episode

[Alex Z 848]

This episode was excellent. My favorite episode of this season so far.

[Fluttershyfan94 5,738]

I liked the episode, good introduction to the caste as well.

[EquestriaGuy 1,074]

I finally got a minute to sit down and watch the episode without any interruptions. I really enjoyed the jokes and visual gags in this episode. It seems like the animators and writers truly understand these characters, which shows in the chemistry they have. I wasn't digging the song too much, but I can't say I disliked it. What really blew me away though, was the climax at the end. For me, this episode went from kinda mediocre to "oh my god, this chandelier is gonna make me tear up" in about half a second. Really well played, and a very unconventional solution to the episode. They could have easily gone with "oh we'll just fill the damn thing with books and make it look just like the library", but instead they went with something far more meaningful.

 

 

Bravo to these two new writers for the show.  

[NavelColt 22,876]

Seemed a lot like Castle-Mania from S4, which held the episode three slot as well. Both about castles, both slice of life episodes that focused on the Mane Six and their relationships. Like that episode, I have more or less the same thoughts. It was nice, pretty cute; not much went on outside the tree being recognized, and that getting closure was surely the highlight of the episode. Indifference with a smile on the side, for me, for both episodes.

[Ruddboy Olaf 10,627]

I just got a chance to watch it,and now I have an opinion.

 

I liked it. And that random Bulk Biceps part was hilarious!

[OtakuBrony 349]

Howdy all!

 

Good episode and Daniel Ingram is the man when it comes to music on the show.

 

Poor Twilight missing her old home the Library.

 

I was like  when she kicked Angel to the mud and looking like a fluffball after she cleaned him up.

And the bunny was mad locking Fluttershy out of the cottage.

 

Lotsa funny scenes in the episode.

And Spike going  when Rarity asks him to stall Twilight at the spa.

I was like YES!!!

Pinkie was being Pinkie.

Though the  library going to smithereens was a bit rash.

 

Not a Bad debut for writers in Joanna Lewis & Kristine Songco

(And they wrote todays song to boot )

 

Cant wait fer more!

[Steve Piranha 28,783]

I liked the episode, good introduction to the caste as well.

It still needs staff, it kinda feels like an enormous castle-shaped house, instead of an actual castle 

[Mr Underhill 219]

I saw a beautiful spa pony!!!! <3

 

AND ONE OF THEM SPOKE!!!

Yeah! since when did they have voices?! 

[Guest]

I loved this episode, Spike and Pinkie stole the show IMO. Actually, so did Rarity The ending was so touching, it was a beautiful way for Twilight to always remember her roots and those of her friendships. <3

[EquestriaGuy 1,074]

Yeah! since when did they have voices?! 

One of them spoke in Bridle Gossip, actually Completely different accent. 

[Fluttershyfan94 5,738]

It still needs staff, it kinda feels like an enormous castle-shaped house, instead of an actual castle 

Well they have Spike, he'll take care of the cleaning and maintenance of it.