S05:E18 - Crusaders of the Lost Mark

[Jangocoolguy 433]

I want to like this episode more than I do. I really do...

But throughout it I kept thinking "Too little, too late."

Oh sure, there had been talk among fans and various fan labor that Tiara was a "poor rich" who was loveless and lonely and that her parents shared some of the blame. It would've been a lot nicer if it hadn't been for "One Bad Apple" and "Flight to the Finish" making her a despicable little bitch for the helluvit. "The Pony I want to Be" would've moved me more if they hadn't practically gone out of their way to make her look bad in her previous appearances.

On a related note, I stopped caring about the Crusade a while ago, so I'm not as excited as others that the CMC finally got their marks, thought I AM relieved that it's finally out of the way. I

'm a little annoyed at this "help others know their cutie marks mean" thing in place what we thought the CMC would do (Sweetie Belle singing, Scootaloo being an athlete, and AB being a handyman or farmer), but giving them a talent we weren't expecting IS clever. Plus, those cutie marks and their meaning have to be kind of confusing sometimes...

Though hey, the episode that FINALLY brings up Ma and Pa Apple still gets big points from me !

[LongGoneGr 1,305]

How many ponies lived worthless lives before this problem was addressed? How many ponies died from hunger because there wasn't money in the budget? How many ponies suffer life-long childhood trauma because of abusive parents? I don't think such issues will be solved that easily, or solved at all.

No ponies died from hunger because it was a school board budget

[Gearbox10mm 794]

OK, I know I'm late to the party but I just watched the episode and to say I'm surprised is an understatement. I really don't know what to think. It is going to take some time for all of that to sink in.

 

The part were it was finally confirmed that the Apple's parents are really and truly gone, OMG!!!!

 

I'm getting some strong "Magical Mystery Cure" vibes right now.

[Spartan 433]

You know, i noticed that we still haven't seen Scootaloo's parents. I mean, Apple Blooms' were mentioned, I think i saw Sweetie Belle's, but we already know about hers.. but no where did we see or is mentioned, that she has parents.

 

Speculation: When Spike sends the letter  to Celestia, she affentionatly looks at it and when she shows it too Luna. Maybe its just a 'happy they got their marks' looks, but in my mind Celestia is Scootaloo's mom but could be there for obvious reasons.

[Skye 463]

This episode was freaking awesome. Enjoyed it so much, there were so many good things about it.


also i shouldn't be this happy about confirmed dead parents

[Melon Blitz 423]

The only part I didn't like about the whole episode was when they reused the animation of Spike sending the photo to Celestia (the same one from the intro song). Maybe they will use it for a new intro MLP intro? Probably not... it didnt change in Scare Master...

Edited October 11, 2015 by Melon Blitz

[Lexamena 391]

The only part I didn't like about the whole episode was when they reused the animation of Spike sending the photo to Celestia (the same one from the intro song). Maybe they will use it for a new intro MLP intro? Probably not... it didnt change in Scare Master...

I actually liked that part. I hope they do use in the intro from here on out.

[Brony Mata 134]

Seriously, I thought them getting their marks would never happen THIS SOON. I was thinking maybe it'd happen next season or so (the SDCC panel Q&A answer made it seem like it), but I'm glad they finally got this long-running arc over and done with at last!

 

Also, looking back on Appaloosa's Most Wanted, I think that episode was foreshadowing for this moment, ESPECIALLY how they were able to help Trouble Shoes figure out what his mark meant! They've had more success with stuff like that than with ANY of their other attempts! The moment they stopped actively searching and decided to help others with THIER marks instead was the moment they finally got em! Well played, writers!

It was terribly played. You already said that they got them pretty soon.

ok, it was pretty good, i just never wanted this to happen.

Bull-pony i hate this episode more than... shipping?

It was an amazing episode, i wonder whats next

There wont be anything next, its done, all over. Game Over.

 

the only thing keeping me calm right now is that i know they wont run out of ideas, since S6 is coming

 

I actually liked that part. I hope they do use in the intro from here on out.

that part was amazing,,,, it wasnt just because they earned their cutie marks, it was the anniversary... i liked it,,,

Edited October 11, 2015 by Brony Mata

[Lexamena 391]

It was terribly played. You already said that they got them pretty soon.

ok, it was pretty good, i just never wanted this to happen.

Bull-pony i hate this episode more than... shipping?

It was an amazing episode, i wonder whats next

There wont be anything next, its done, all over. Game Over.

 

the only thing keeping me calm right now is that i know they wont run out of ideas, since S6 is coming

 

 

 

 

that part was amazing,,,, it wasnt just because they earned their cutie marks, it was the anniversary... i liked it,,,

Ya it just was a pleasant visual surprise. I always enjoy seeing the part of a show that is used as intro clip, regardless of what show it is. That's just me.

[Auditormadness9 61]

Alright, we've got another CMC episode. Or is it a Pipsqueak episode?

Well actually, this is the last CMC episode.

[Aquaryan 42]

Everypony,

 

This episode was the very first episode to make me 

 

 

cry like almost everypony did watching the ending of the episode.

[DJW 142]

Well actually, this is the last CMC episode.

Aren't they still crusading though? Except now it's for other's marks instead of their own.

 

I think that is the best part about this episode.

It was starting to get a little routine that the CMCs kept on not getting their marks, but the danger of giving them to the CMCs was that it would effectively draw a line under their role in the show and they would be just another group of side characters.

This way we get character development/progression but maintain their purpose, which is even expanded to helping people find what their pre-existing marks can mean.

Also shows us that once a mark is attained, it's not personality defining.

 

 

Liked Derpy in the 'UPS' uniform too.

Edited October 11, 2015 by DJW

[MAIKUN 262]

Well actually, this is the last CMC episode.

What do you mean "This is the last CMC episode"?

Aren't they still crusading though? Except now it's for other's marks instead of their own.

 

I think that is the best part about this episode.

It was starting to get a little routine that the CMCs kept on not geting their marks, but the danger of giving them to the CMCs was that it would effectively draw a line under their role in the show and they would be just another group of side characters.

This way we get character development/progression but maintain their purpose, which is even expanded to helping people find what their pre-existing marks can mean.

Also shows us that once a mark is attained, it's not personality defining.

 

 

Liked Derpy in the 'UPS' uniform too.

Heck yeah, they can still crusade with their marks now and they can expand by adding new members too!

[Auditormadness9 61]

It was terribly played. You already said that they got them pretty soon.

ok, it was pretty good, i just never wanted this to happen.

Bull-pony i hate this episode more than... shipping?

It was an amazing episode, i wonder whats next

There wont be anything next, its done, all over. Game Over.

 

the only thing keeping me calm right now is that i know they wont run out of ideas, since S6 is coming

 

 

 

 

that part was amazing,,,, it wasnt just because they earned their cutie marks, it was the anniversary... i liked it,,,

Writers are starting to finish stuff that Lauren Faust didn't. She wanted the CMC finally get their cutie marks, Rainbow Dash become a wonderbolt, and Twilight Sparkle become Princess Celestia's successor. They will probably make an episode, where Rainbow Dash becomes a wonderbolt, but Twilight can't become Princess Celestia's successor, cuz she's a Princess. That's something M.A. Larson goofed and let Lauren Faust down when writing Magical Mystery Cure. The first important thing was about the Mane Six, but it already got itself in the first episode, that their friendship is magic. But seriously Meghan McCarthy did a do about Twilight's Kingdom and her written episodes are the greatest, and btw where did she go in Season 5? Did she disappear? Why not write the Season 5 finale, Meghan McCarthy? Then I'll totally have fun and hype watching it. Cuz from the sound of the syponosis, it seemed quite boring in my opinion.

 

I know that the 2017 movie will be the closing for MLP, and it will make sad 100% of the whole mlp fans, and 85% of people in the whole world. Lauren Faust will have tears I can tell. Don't let us down writers, make the closing of mlp very great that it could remind everyone the opening of mlp which Lauren Faust did, and make us proud of that show in our whole lifes. It lived 7 years, brought friendship in 7 years, and gone very sadly. I know that movie will be the end of mlp, cuz it makes 6 seasons of mlp, marking the main six characters, who brought friendship to the world and the source of the show.

 

I hope in 2017 movie, Lauren Faust will be back to write it and close the show very dramatically and excitingly how she opened it.

 

:( :( :(

Edited October 11, 2015 by Auditormadness9

[Brony Mata 134]

Well actually, this is the last CMC episode.

NO!... NOOOO! THAT CANT BE!! 

im not going to believe this,,,

know what, the pony staff, and writers are know to answer fans questions. They would know about this, im going to twitter, and deviant art, and all the other corners to answer this

[Tranquil Claw 80]

I actually predicted those exact cutie marks ever since the CMC episode with Trouble Shoes. I imagined their cutie marks as shields with some way of presenting their unique talents. Can't believe how much I nailed it.

[My Little Mandy 838]

I LOVED THIS EPISODE! I squealed with joy when I watched it! :')

[Foliha 395]

...but Twilight can't become Princess Celestia's successor, cuz she's a Princess.

 

Ahhhhhh.  No.  She could always step down.  She may have other things to do...

[Cloud Strife 928]

Writers are starting to finish stuff that Lauren Faust didn't. She wanted the CMC finally get their cutie marks, Rainbow Dash become a wonderbolt, and Twilight Sparkle become Princess Celestia's successor. They will probably make an episode, where Rainbow Dash becomes a wonderbolt, but Twilight can't become Princess Celestia's successor, cuz she's a Princess. That's something M.A. Larson goofed and let Lauren Faust down when writing Magical Mystery Cure. The first important thing was about the Mane Six, but it already got itself in the first episode, that their friendship is magic. But seriously Meghan McCarthy did a do about Twilight's Kingdom and her written episodes are the greatest, and btw where did she go in Season 5? Did she disappear? Why not write the Season 5 finale, Meghan McCarthy? Then I'll totally have fun and hype watching it. Cuz from the sound of the syponosis, it seemed quite boring in my opinion.

 

I know that the 2017 movie will be the closing for MLP, and it will make sad 100% of the whole mlp fans, and 85% of people in the whole world. Lauren Faust will have tears I can tell. Don't let us down writers, make the closing of mlp very great that it could remind everyone the opening of mlp which Lauren Faust did, and make us proud of that show in our whole lifes. It lived 7 years, brought friendship in 7 years, and gone very sadly. I know that movie will be the end of mlp, cuz it makes 6 seasons of mlp, marking the main six characters, who brought friendship to the world and the source of the show.

 

I hope in 2017 movie, Lauren Faust will be back to write it and close the show very dramatically and excitingly how she opened it.

 

:( :( :(

 

I'm predicting that even though they're saying it's the end, they'll renew the IP somehow.

 

Like, come on. They're making a lot of money through this show. Why would they give it up? The same thing happened to various other ones such as SpongeBob SquarePants.

[Lexamena 391]

I'm predicting that even though they're saying it's the end, they'll renew the IP somehow.

 

Like, come on. They're making a lot of money through this show. Why would they give it up? The same thing happened to various other ones such as SpongeBob SquarePants.

What if it went on like The Simpsons, for 27 seasons!

[Steve Piranha 29,419]

 The pace between the plot despite the amount of songs didn't felt forced at the expense of the plot, which also tackled several issues in the same episode, the songs where marvelous, with a special mention to Chantal Strand who showed herself as a wonderful singer, the CMCs FINALLY GOT THEIR CUTIE MARKS  , and while I'm not so convinced on how they handled the redemption with DT, it was fresh to see a side of her other than the rich spoiled filly we've seen   . 

 

 

So, did I loved Magical Mystery Cure: Cutie Mark Crusaders Edition? FUCKING HELL YEAH   .

[Music Chart Fan 819]

Overall, this was a decent episode. While I probably didn't have nearly as much of an emotional reaction as others have posted, this episode did manage to bring on some of "the feels", which is more than can be said for other episodes this season which also aimed to do that. I was actually surprised that the CMC got their cutie marks in this episode; as I was watching, I thought that Diamond Tiara's redemption would be enough of a major event for one episode, but then we got the bonus of the CMC getting their cutie marks, too. I'm glad that the CMC have their cutie marks, and that we can finally move on from the CMC asking "What zany thing can we try to do to get our cutie marks today?!".

 

However, one thing I'm not a particular fan of in this episode is making so much of it into choreographed song sequences. I think doing so led to the episode feeling a bit rushed and having to gloss over some things which I would have liked to see more detail about. For example, in Diamond Tiara's first song, she sings a little about the pressure her parents put on her, but I wish we could see more about Diamond Tiara's home life and its effects on her. Or, for another example, in the ending song Rainbow Dash says that Scootaloo has taught her a thing or two, but I really would have liked to hear Rainbow Dash say what exactly those things were, since we haven't seen much of the two of them spending time together. The song sequences also led to some awkward/weird moments, such as the CMC running backward as fast as Diamond Tiara running forward, and Rainbow Dash singing to Scootaloo with an unnatural cadence.

 

While Diamond Tiara's redemption in this episode is heartwarming, I still find it a little problematic. Diamond Tiara asks in her song "Would you believe that I've always wished I could be somepony else?", to which I would reply "No, I don't believe that". She also says that "I can't see what I need to do to be the pony I want to be", which implies that she's not the pony she wants to be right now, but since when has that been the case? A lot of people on the forums are saying that Diamond Tiara now has an excuse for the things she's done over the course of the show - that her controlling/abusive mother pressured her into doing them. However, it seems to me that many of the cruel things Diamond Tiara has done have gone above and beyond the requirements of pleasing her mother. In other words, if Diamond Tiara really wanted to be somepony else, and didn't really want to belittle and sabotage the CMC and their classmates, it seems like she could have gotten away with doing much less of that and still met her mother's expectations. The more plausible explanation to me is that Diamond Tiara's mother did teach her (and expect her) to act like a "winner", not associate with her inferior classmates, etc., and Diamond Tiara sincerely believed those things and acted on them. But after the triple punch of not a single other classmate voting for her, Silver Spoon abandoning her, and her mother yelling at her, Diamond Tiara started to realize that her current trajectory is leaving her friendless and miserable, and so she becomes open to changing her ways. With this explanation, her turnaround in behavior/attitude in this episode is still rather sudden and perhaps not entirely believable, but her past actions would still make sense. I would also expect Diamond Tiara's parents to push back against her newfound attitude and not just accept it, so I wonder if the relationship between Diamond Tiara and her parents will be explored on the show some time in the future.

 

Regarding the CMC's cutie marks, I'm okay with them and how they got them, for the most part. It is a little ironic that the CMC have been told throughout the show to be patient and not worry so much/try so hard to get their cutie marks, and sure enough, as soon as the CMC resolve to help others discover their talents and cutie marks, rather than focusing on their own, they get their cutie marks. I suppose that, with the three of them getting such similar cutie marks at the same time, we lose some potential episodes in which, for example, one or two of the CMC get their cutie marks, leaving the other one(s) anxious, disappointed, etc. However, in exchange, there could be future episodes in which the CMC try to help others discover their talents/cutie marks. One thing I can't help wondering about is whether, given that the CMC's cutie marks and what they represent are so similar, the CMC are destined to be friends forever. Will their childhood friendship and shared talent last into adulthood and beyond? After all, it's not uncommon for childhood friendships to break up or fall by the wayside.

 

Another issue is that I'm not sure that I'm entirely on board with the idea that the Cutie Mark Crusaders' talent is in helping others get their cutie marks and discover their true talents. Apple Bloom says that when the CMC take a little time off from trying to discover their true talent, they end up helping others figure out their true talents. However, other than this episode, the only obvious example I can come up with in which this happens is "Appleoosa's Most Wanted" with Trouble Shoes. I'm not sure that I can think of another episode where the CMC assist someone else in discovering his or her true talent or cutie mark. The CMC ultimately help Babs Seed not to be such a jerk in "One Bad Apple", but that doesn't really have a direct connection to her discovering her true talent or getting her cutie mark in hairstyling. Hopefully the CMC's talent and how they use it will be explored on the show in the future.

 

Now for my other miscellaneous observations:

 

At the beginning of the episode, there's a poster of activities which the CMC tried to do on the wall. On that poster, wouldn't it have been easier to write the activites down as words (sewing, bowling, etc.), rather than drawing pictures?

 

The CMC agree to be Pipsqueak's campaign manager and knock hooves, and when Pipsqueak can't reach, rather than lowering their hooves a little, Sweetie Belle uses magic to levitate Pipsqueak up to them. In this case, the episode's creators probably just wanted to have a cute moment and to show off Sweetie Belle using her magic.

 

Pipsqueak says that the playground equipment took quite a beating in Twilight's battle with Tirek, but when did that happen? We saw Twilight's battle with Tirek take place almost entirely in the non-descript countryside, and as far as I remember, the Golden Oaks Library was the only time during that battle that Tirek destroyed or damaged any pony-made structures.

 

Diamond Tiara says that Pipsqueak's proposal of getting new playground equipment is a ridiculous waste of money, and then, in a non sequitur, says that's just like when Twist proposed to replace the broken window that Discord destroyed with a plain schoolhouse window, whereas Diamond Tiara got it replaced with what looks like a stained glass window of herself. Wouldn't Twist's proposal for a plain window be the more fiscally responsible one? Wouldn't Diamond Tiara's stained glass window of herself be a ridiculous waste of money by comparison?

 

How does Diamond Tiara know these embarrassing secrets about her classmates? Are they from her stint as editor-as-chief of The Foal Free Press back in "Ponyville Confidential"? Or does Diamond Tiara (or her lackeys) spy on her classmates for this very purpose? That would be funny considering that she derisively asks the CMC later if they're trying to get cutie marks in spying.

 

The girl with the super strength seems to be lifting the entire foundation of a building to retrieve a ball, but how would the ball have even gotten there in the first place?

 

So the fact that the CMC didn't get their cutie marks in campaign management is proof, in Diamond Tiara's mind, that Pipsqueak didn't really win, and there must be a recount? A recount would typically only be in order when the election results are close enough that a recount could change the winner. That obviously turned out not to be the case, but it does raise the question of why it was only announced that Pipsqueak won the election, and not what the vote counts or vote percentages were. Also, would the candidate herself be permitted to recount the votes?

 

At the CMC's clubhouse, Diamond Tiara says that she isn't struggling at all to figure out who she's supposed to be and what she's supposed to be doing with her cutie mark, and when Apple Bloom asks "Are you sure about that?" Diamond Tiara testily says "That's a weird question". I don't think it's a weird question, but not just because the CMC overheard Diamond Tiara the previous day, but also because her statement sounded bitter, sarcastic and insincere.

 

Pipsqueak comes screaming to the CMC for help after his request for new playground equipment was turned down at the school board meeting, and I feel like telling him "Hey, you're the student pony president, you figure it out". Why did everyone bother to elect him if he's just going to go screaming to the CMC for help when things don't go his way?

 

When Diamond Tiara is running to the school, the CMC tell her that she can try another start, and point to what looks like a sunny gazebo with a rainbow over it. What is that location, exactly? If Diamond Tiara chose to go there, where would she (literally) be going? Is that just a nice location to sit and reflect, or maybe to talk with the CMC after they find a solution to Pipsqueak's problem?

 

When Diamond Tiara arrives at the school, why are all those kids there? Weren't they already released from school for the day? Is there some after-school activity in which Diamond Tiara and the CMC aren't participating? Are all these kids' parents at the school board meeting, and they were just dragged along? Are they just all eagerly waiting for the end of the school board meeting to see if the new playground equipment is approved? If so, then what would be the point of Diamond Tiara rushing over there to be the first one to announce the news to them?

 

Spoiled Rich berates Diamond Tiara for "associating with confused, insignificant lowlifes", a.k.a. her classmates, and says that "socializing with their kind is not how you move up in Equestria". If that's the case, and if Spoiled Rich really holds such disdain for Diamond Tiara's classmates, then why is Diamond Tiara even attending this school? Why is Spoiled Rich even serving on the school board? If that's what she thinks, then why isn't she, say, sending Diamond Tiara to a prestigious private school that would build "good" associations and reputation?

 

Diamond Tiara says that her mother doesn't have friends, but we would obviously expect her to have certain associations and social circles with rich ponies, at least; we even see her and Filthy Rich making small talk with a group of rich ponies as Diamond Tiara and the CMC are running over to the school. So I guess we're meant to assume that her pretentiousness, obsession with social standing, etc. has left her without any "true" friends who care for her. It would be nice to actually see this, though, rather than just having Diamond Tiara say it without elaboration.

 

Diamond Tiara asks the kid with the "super teeth" to help move a teeter-totter, but I wouldn't think that having big teeth would necessarily mean having super jaw muscle strength, although that apparently turns out to be the case.

 

The flash of the picture at the end of the episode occurs as the CMC are in the middle of singing, yet they aren't singing in the actual picture Celestia and Luna see. Also, who's in the picture seems a bit random: the CMC, some of their classmates, Miss Cheerilee, the Mane Six, and Spike are in, but not any of the rest of Apple Bloom's or Sweetie Belle's family or any of the other townsfolk who were celebrating earlier.

[roptiriolg 49]

OK the way the episode came in the end was like a sudden storm coming out of nowhere, a storm of excitement and joy that is! I do not find the CMC episodes interesting most of the time and for me they were average. I do not like musical type episodes too, so I couldn't understand what was so great about the episode. Then it came, the long awaited moment of seeing the CMCs acquiring their cutie marks! And all that followed turned the episode for me from another CMC average to just really good! I still wouldn't put it highest not only because I like less CMC episodes but for some things (though - I still liked it, it's the best episode of the CMCs so far!)

 

When I first read the title of the episode I thought Diamond Tiara would lose her cutie mark somehow (I later suspected when she was so hostile, she'd lose it, the CMCs would help her recover it and then they may get their cutie markis, I had some intuition this may be the episode that does it, without having read spoilers or watched trailers). So DT never lost her cutie mark as the title initially misleaded, however the way they helped DT and showed her their friendship was making it look like they would not get their marks again!n (Scootaloo even said she didnt care if they didnt receive their marks now) - and as expected after such words, the opposite happened!\

 

Now I dont think the marks would be such an impact on the community (I have yet to see the reaction) but I think how they would develop that would be a key moment in the show. Personally I was imagining their cutie marks would be again something related to Friendship ('it is Magic' afterall), like some specific behaviors in the friendship for Applebloom, Sweety Belle and Scootaloo.

 

I am kind of surprised and  not sure if 'Crusaders of cutie marks' is what they were meant to do. To me the idea of being cutie mark chasers is weird and I do not know what exactly are they supposed to do with that. They were crusaders of their own marks. Now if they protect the cutie mark of all Equestria and try to return them, like when the Mane 6 lost them in 'The Cutie Map' - imagine the CMCs doing everything to restore them - that would be interesting and with purpose. Because every other pony has  some specific talent and this didnt look like the kind of talent, Ofc there is something inside those crusader marks that distinguishes Scotaloo, Apple Bloom And Sweety Belle.

 

Overall nice episode, the best of the CMC episodes, something that was waiting to happen but after a not so special 3/4 of the episode, it happened so sudden, I didnt realize it! DT's mother, ok that's new and well this plot of school, voting for class president and the evil girl, I've watched the exact same stuff in another cartoon show but it's probably in every

Edited October 11, 2015 by ImtR

[Carl Poppa 464]

Well, I personally found this to be another example of S5 shining above the others.  I love the musical episodes in general, and while early on the series I found the CMC to be annoying, I've come to really like them now.  I feel like this episode was very well executed.  With things being tied up if the end is near, I personally won't mind as long as it is well written and awesome, which, based on season 5 thusfar, it really will be, when the time comes.

[arftbmrf 40]

No ponies died from hunger because it was a school board budget

What about other questions?