S05:E12 - Amending Fences

[Cherry_Bloom 165]

I'm going to go watch this again now because I loved it so much. And i'm super excited for the next half of season 5!!!

[Gaviera 52]

catching up on episodes, and, though I kinda hoped that Moondancer would actually have a different problem that led to her being that way, and not having it be all about Twilight, they did show the other friends to show that moving on isn't usually that big of a deal, like it was to Moondancer, so it's more about the character and how she was affected. I really liked her. Moondancer.

 

Also, you can NOT tell me she didn't have a crush on Twilight come on that is the most obvious ship the show could have spoon-fed to us. This is leagues above the AppleDash tension in that Falling of the Leaves episode.

 

[Rainbow Dash]: "Ready for another pony ride?"

 

HUEHUEHUEHUEHUE

Edited September 20, 2015 by Gaviera

[EVBP 94]

So far this has been my favorite episode of the season!

 

But it also feels like only part of the journey. To me, if Twilight intends to make things right, I feel like we need to see more frequent occurrences of her Canterlot friends - she needs to visit, and spend time with them. At least often enough to show that she wants to stay in touch. If we just get one episode with these characters and then they never pop up again... I dunno. I want to see more of Moon Dancer now that her and Twilight have reconnected!

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

Wow. Where do I start with this one? Continuity? A callback to the very beginning of the show? Twilight's backstory? This had all the ingredients of a killer episode and that's exactly what we got.

 

First of all, Minuette is really a great character. Her attitude is infectious and she does a wonderful job of helping Twilight get back in touch. What a revelation about Lyra--not only did she live in Canterlot before, but she was a friend of Twilight! (Since we've been seeing Lyra around Ponyville since the beginning of the series, I'll assume that she moved there before Twilight did.) Spike is perfectly in character, though it seemed weird that none of Twi's old friends talked to him. At least we see him chatting with Pony Joe.

 

And then we come to Moon Dancer, who exudes all kinds of nerdy awkwardness. Has no idea what to say in a conversation, doesn't relate, and is all closed up because of disappointments earlier in life. Basically, Moon Dancer is the Twilight Sparkle that once was--before castles, wings, and Elements. Except that she was already beginning to understand friendship when Twilight--who did not--unintentionally destroyed her efforts by not showing up at the party. It's clear that MD not only considered Twi a friend, but her best friend.

 

Her speech to Twilight at the end is really heart-rending. The only thing missing from it is that she didn't mention the alicorn thing. Think about it: Twi doesn't show up, moves away, never contacts her again, and for that she is ultimately rewarded with wings and a crown and a title: The Princess of Friendship. Golly gee, isn't that NICE?!?!   At least that's how I would see it if I were Moon Dancer, and it would seriously bother me.

 

Naturally the episode has to ignore some of this stuff to wrap everything up in a neat package--like the fact that Twilight is all broken up about her old friends but it never occurs to her to visit her parents. The inclusion of Pinkie Pie is a stroke of genius (AKR seems to love her, and has always done some of the best Pinkie episodes). But I think it's going to take more than one visit for Twi and Moon to reestablish a true friendship...so I really hope we see her again! This episode works on every level and will go down as one of Season 5's greatest. I love it to bits.   

[Shiny 54]

Moondancer is new best pony, but yet nopony knows how to spell her name   

 

Here are some ways to spell it

 

1.Moon Dancer

2.MoonDancer

3.Moondancer

[SUPERFOX5 387]

This really hit home in the feels for me...

 

I have former friends that either moved away or moved on with their lives, so this made me think if I should get into contact with them again.

 

Moondancer crying at her second party really got me feeling for her pain and suffering that she went through after Twilight left...

 

This episode makes me appreciate my past friends more than I should have before.

 

10/10

[Emiko Gale 199]

This episode hit home for me being abandoned by a former friend like Moondancer has. Heck, she is practically the queen of the city I live in.

 

And I appreciate MLP showing that friendships can also hurt.

 

It makes me wonder if there will ever be an episode where a friendship ends...But for the better.

 

Not like that has to be a negative thing...I lost my ex best friend and I think about him all the time...But at the same time I don't think he should be back in my life. It's ok though, thinking about the good times between us gets me through the day.

[Shawn Parks 1,798]

This episode hit home for me being abandoned by a former friend like Moondancer has. Heck, she is practically the queen of the city I live in.

 

 

I feel like all of my friends have abandoned me.

 

[DeathBronyYT 18]

There's nothing I could say about this episode....

[powerpuff-tsubasa 448]

one of the best twilight episodes where twi decided to step up and make up the lost friendship

[Luminance 2,186]

Love this episode and easily one of my favorites for S5. The way how the episode thickens up at the end with Moondancer and Twilight's reassuring their friendship including with their others friends. I've wonder why Lyra didn't make an appearance.

[Sparklefan1234 170,563]

I LOVE this episode!

 

It's my favorite episode of season 5 and I watched it at least 10 times the weekend it came out because it's

SO AWESOME! 

Edited August 29, 2016 by Sparklefan1234

[starlightsong 0]

This episode was so good! I love Moondancer and I'm really glad things worked out!! Moondancer was really relatable for me. And Minuette was so cheerful and cute! 

[Luminance 2,186]

Interesting observation I noticed in the night scene when Twilight had that flashback of Moondancer's party.

 

I believe that it was actually Princess Luna who helped reveal to Twilight her "inner-thoughts" about with she did in the past. Princess Luna help ponies dream in their sleep and she maybe can help out in reality too in that she calms uneasiness in the night just like how she can do in dreams. Luna helped Twilight recreate the "scene" that Twilight had to see in order for her to relieved herself, just like in the dream realm for example. It was Twilight's living nightmare if she didn't reunite herself and the others to Moondancer and Luna helped showed Twilight her worse but it's up to Twilight to willingly amend her shortcoming.

 

Just a little subtle thing that I think can be plausible.

[Thrond 3,263]

I have trouble sympathising with Moondancer's plight. The episode doesn't do a lot to convince me that it was reasonable for Moondancer to be bothered that Twilight left - if she interpreted more of a relationship than actually existed, then that's on her - and I never especially believed that Moondancer's lifestyle was really hurting her. Maybe she just wanted to be left alone; she clearly has an easier time talking to people when she's interested in the topic. Couldn't she find other friends based on this? And besides, didn't those friends who did show up help her feel some self-worth? 

 

Because I don't believe that Moondancer's lifestyle is causing her harm, I don't believe that Twilight's intervention is appropriate. I can't watch the episode without interpreting her as effectively stalking Moondancer, and so it's hard for me to get behind her either. The closest Twilight comes to learning anything in this episode is having what she already believed confirmed, so this is another episode where a half-baked new character is helped by a main character who learns nothing from the experience. Moreover, later episodes convince me that Twilight might not have the healthiest expectations of herself, so this additional evidence that the world revolves around her seems to me like it would only stress her out. 

 

I don't really understand what this episode is trying to say, and I feel that a message about how sometimes friends just move on, and that some people just want to be left alone, would be a lot stronger than what we got. I can't relate to anything here, and it makes me sad to say that, as I've had a difficult time relating to Twilight since at least season 3 now. 

 

Also, Colgate is annoying. 

[Tropico 226]

I loved it too. very beautiful episode with a beautiful ending. love they addressed that theme of old-twilight being a "bad" friend and that they showed the first seconds of the first episode and its consequences that i've never thought.

 

and watching her old home and remembering it with her its pretty nostalgic. love it.

 

also super lovely their friends didnt hate twilight for abandoning them. because they were friends since kids and knew twilight was like that. they accepted since always that twilight and loved her that way. so didnt take it personally. plus from S1 to S4 only pass one year. S4 to s5 maybe 1 more or just half. is not that much.

Edited March 24, 2017 by Tropico

[3124567yuhgfdsew 31]

Amending Fences is one of my all time favorite episodes... We both get a look into Twilight's life before Ponyville... and we get one of my favorite background characters (Minuette/Colgate)as a supporting character.

[3124567yuhgfdsew 31]

On 10/16/2015 at 3:39 PM, TailsIsNotAlone said:

Wow. Where do I start with this one? Continuity? A callback to the very beginning of the show? Twilight's backstory? This had all the ingredients of a killer episode and that's exactly what we got.

That was one of my favorite aspects of the episode. Being able to see what Twilight's life was like when she was residing in Canterlot.

======================================================================================================================

Although I minor part of the episode... I always do enjoy seeing more of Canterlot, as it's my favorite city in the show. I love the architecture, culture, and vibe it gives of being the capital of Equestria. 

Edited March 28, 2017 by Phisica.

[zenith32 76]

Most of my favorite episodes are ones that heavily involve side/background characters, and this episode not only introduced a new character quite well but also gave some really neat interaction and background to three recurring background characters, which is something I always approve of in shows like this. Also got some nice background history for Twilight that has otherwise gone more or less unmentioned even now, 2 seasons later. I approve.

[Thrond 3,263]

Season 5 episode 12 - "Amending Fences"

Despite this episode trying to gain weight from continuity, it's filled with retcons which come damn close to undermining the entire point of the first season. I simply do not believe that Twilight had a very close relationship with Moondancer & co., so I have a hard time caring about whether Twilight reconnects with them. This re-watch, I was acutely aware that the episode fully endorsed everything Twilight said and did, so this was probably the least fun I've had with this episode yet, because I strongly feel that Twilight is making a big fuss about nothing, that she has no responsibility to Moondancer, and that her continued pestering of Moondancer was inappropriate. Even in this episode, the only evidence that Twilight, Moondancer, and Minuette were ever more than acquaintances is purely exposition.

In fact, the pilot made a specific point about Twilight not wanting to make friends, so I see no reason to believe she had friends in Canterlot. After all, that's the only way her behaviour really makes any sense. When she says she's busy in the pilot, she's clearly lying, and if Twilight particularly cared about Moondancer or the others, I don't see why she wouldn't be entirely honest with them. Wasn't the entire point of season 1 that Twilight was learning what friendship is like? Even "B.B.B.F.F." is stretching it, frankly. 

As such, I find it hard to care about Moondancer, even though she's clearly the episode's emotional core. Whatever she projected onto Twilight is clearly just her own problem, because the episode doesn't bother to retcon some sort of relationship between them aside from a very impersonal exchange related to homework. I at least do appreciate this time around that Moondancer is causing herself harm by being such a shut-in, but why is that Twilight's fault? As a result, I don't find Moondancer very sympathetic, and it seems to me like she needs much more help than she gets here.

At the end, we see a few people who apparently knew Moondancer, but that only reinforces how we know nothing of Moondancer's life before this episode. She's brand new, and all we see her doing is stewing with resentment over something which, in my eyes, is quite clearly not Twilight's fault. So then, why should I care about her at all? And, moreover, what on earth is the moral supposed to be? Anything I can think of is completely invalidated by the fact that, again, I don't believe Twilight and Moondancer were ever friends. 

Finally, what about Minuette & co? Why wasn't their friendship, which actually existed, enough for Moondancer? She even says that they made her feel some sort of self-worth - another indication that she has much deeper issues than the episode goes into - so why does some random introvert not attending the party affect her? What makes it "embarrassing?" I don't think the episode answers those questions, which are crucial to its emotional effect, so this just leaves me cold, and it doesn't help that Minuette is seriously annoying. 

I think there's elements to appreciate here, but none of them are really as developed as they might have been. Moondancer only coming out of her shell when someone appeals to her interests? Has potential. Twilight fretting over experiences she lost because she never solidified her relationships? Could easily have made a great episode. But the former doesn't go anywhere, and the latter is - once again - undercut because I don't believe Twilight and the others were friends.

I think those ideas, plus the occasional fun gag and the emotive tone, helped me forgive this a little in previous viewings, but this time I just couldn't get into it at all. To me, this isn't even one of the better episodes of its season, let alone the best episode of the whole show. Oh, and Twilight being in the right from start to finish is exactly what I'm talking about when I say this season made her super boring; this might actually be her worst appearance to date, in my opinion. I just don't get all the praise for this one.  

Score:

Entertainment: 5/10

Characters: 3/10

Themes: 4/10

Story: 3/10

Overall: 38/100

[Singe 2,111]

I find missing from the episode is a lack of others acknowledging that Twilight has a selfish motive behind this. It's why she doesn't accept Moondancer choice in life and keeps going after Moondancer to change her. When Moondancer was letting it all out she should have put Twilight on the spot on rather she's doing all this to amend their friendship or it's a blemish on her Princess of Friendship role.

Edited January 7, 2018 by Singe

[Moony the Cat 3,702]

I really liked this Callback Episode and it was interesting to see, what her Friends were up to all this Years ago, it gives closure. And i liked the new Characters.

[Twilight Luna 31,360]

I like shoes that cal back to previous episodes. It shows they care about continuity. 

 

This same situation didn’t happen to me growing up but I had a good friend walk away from our friendship for no reason and started to hang out with the popular crowd. We had been friends through middle school and freshman class in high school. It’s hard to lose a friend for no reason.

[Nyactis Mewcis Catlum 672]

This is an episode I find myself thinking about a lot - but not necessarily for the reason one might think.

My feelings on this episode jerk around back and forth. I definitely feel the emotional weight of this conflict, and I relate to Moondancer as someone who's had those I care about seem to not care as much for me in return, and having that affect me to the point of not wanting to make other relationships. Hell, I've had friends outright betray me, and me have tangible proof of such a thing.

But it's partly because I relate to Moondancer that I can't honestly sing its praises to the same degree that others do.

The emotional weight hit me, hard. I knew how she felt. I knew her actions. I knew why she was doing what she did. I was Moondancer, at one point.
And it was a miserable time in my life... But it wasn't miserable because of what those people did to me. It was miserable because of what I did to myself, and that's what hurts about the episode the most. It lightly addresses it, but it's not enough.

And the one thing that made me realize that: I related to Twilight, too. I was also Twilight, at one point, not just Moondancer. And it was being Twilight that made me realize just how unhealthy Moondancer's disposition was.

And people look at this with Moondancer as the darling, that Twilight hurt her significantly and Twilight is a "horrible friend" because of that... But the matter is, most of those who say that are those who have never been in Twilight's shoes. They think of it as a lack of caring, they think of it as thoughtless, as tasteless. But you don't see, you never see, you haven't experienced, the horrible friendships and relationships that I was guilt tripped into because of this very mentality, that I had to be there at beck and call for everything and if I wasn't able to come back, if I wasn't able to reconnect, for any reason (and truthfully, Twilight had a good reason; she moved to Ponyville during conflict, and she was personally asked to stay and study friendship there, and it was only when her life began to settle some that she could even begin to think about her old friends), that I was indeed a horrible friend; and what was interesting, oh so interesting, about all these scenarios was the fact that hmm, conveniently, these people giving me trouble for not reaching out, for not contacting them or being there during significant moments, never attempted to reach out to me again and didn't seem to care about any trials and tribulations I faced. Instead, when I tried to come back into their lives, they'd tell me how much I missed out on and should've been there for.

That crushing guilt traps you, consumes you, and makes you undervalue yourself. But your friends don't have the RIGHT to command every aspect of your life, they don't have the right to demand that you constantly be there. Yes, it sucks if you're not, but what about you? You're your own person. You have your own concerns in your life. And where were they, during your conflicts?

I can't rate this episode fairly. I can't say whether I like or dislike it. It's personal for me, and it's...not personal for me in a good way. It places way too much on Twilight's shoulders, and she's just one pony. And yes, I get it, it's realistic for people to react that way when they've been burned, but the story doesn't address enough that just because it's realistic, it doesn't mean it's justified. Especially since Moondancer did have other friends attempting to reach out to her (and it states as much in the show, in fact), but she ignored them because she held onto a fillyhood friend. It's so weird that people love Moondancer, but they'll scorn Starlight Glimmer for doing basically the exact damn thing, just to a larger scale.

This isn't really an organized review or anything. Just me pouring my feelings out because I've been mulling over this. Friendship's such a hard and bumpy road sometimes, and I think people oversimplify it sometimes. It's so easy to judge a situation from the outside, so easy to not attempt to understand other people and what they're going through, so easy to point a finger at someone. Dunno, man. It's tiring.

[Senko 459]

On rewatching this episode something occurred to me. Twilight went to Canterlot to reconnect with her old friends Twinkleshine, Lemondrops, Minuette, Moondancer and Lyra Heartstrings. Only we don't see Lyra all episode so we never find out if Twilight leaving hurt her feelings as well, or for that matter if finding out the people she's constantly spending time with (Twinkleshine, Lemondrops and Minuette) had a reunion with Twilight and Moondancer but didn't bother to invite her to join in. I think I'll need to go back over the old comments in this thread to see if anyone else noticed that.

On another note why was the booksellers cutie mark a beehive?

Edited July 22, 2018 by Senko