S05:E23 - The Hooffields and McColts

[n00bUltima 58]

This was an ok episode. Enjoyed it.

Edited May 6, 2016 by n00bUltima

[powerpuff-tsubasa 448]

the episode was decent. i was somewhat annoyed with twilight, who often decides that studying friendship from the textbooks she brought would solve the problem. 

 

luckily fluttershy was there, and I'm glad she got assistance from the animals who lived there. well twi (if i might want to say out loud) talking to other people who are involved in the conflict can overcome everything

[Honeysuckle 136]

i liked that there was a Montague and Capulet feel without the stupid overplayed love story

[Thrond 3,272]

Is it just me, or was Twilight on a massive ego trip on this? Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against that - most interesting she had been since season 2, and the most fun any map episode had been in season 5 - but I can't be alone in this interpretation. She's almost overcompensating as hard as Rainbow Dash! This makes for a good contrast with Fluttershy desperately trying to get a word in edgewise, and the setting and conflict hardly matter - it's all about those characters and their dynamic! Underrated episode. 

[Nye 1,652]

Another great cutie map episode exploring the common problems of a family feud; not knowing how it started. 

[bigbertha 417]

This episode is really boring.

Score: 5/10

[qwerE 97]

Didn't like this episode. It was just too dull.

[Thrond 3,272]

Ends on a bit of a saccharine note, but this is pretty funny. It's a somewhat better take on the idea that Twilight expects too much of herself, and after season 4 awkwardly danced around the issue, I like this season's more direct approach. The best take was still to come in season 7's  "Once Upon a Zeppelin," but this one's got the unique quirk of making her seem almost egotistical, like she's way too invested in the illusion of her own competence. It really is an interesting thematic thread, and while this is a less introspective take than what would come in season 7, it works well enough as a prototype. I do admit that the map stuff of the beginning still grates on me, but it's one of the better examples of that. 

I also like the general concept of a pointless conflict which devastates not just people but also the environment. My ignorance of the historical incident this is based on probably helps a lot - I'm sure this is a reductive depiction of that - but this pretty effectively simplifies that to the point that it doesn't really suggest any real-world issues. You could probably strip this of the "Hooffield" and "McColt" monikers and it wouldn't be recognizable as the actual historical event. Instead, what we get here is a silly cartoon abstraction of war, not really recognizable as anything which would happen in the real world, but still resonating with the damage that human pettiness can cause. 

If only that ending were less overbearing. Not only do the animals come in to save the day, the whole feud started because the original settlers wanted to help those critters.  It's altogether a bit much, and adds to the naive feel of the moral, but admittedly, that optimistic worldview is part of why I watch this show. 

Score:
Entertainment: 7/10
Characters: 8/10
Themes: 8/10
Story: 6/10
Overall: 73/100

[bigbertha 417]

This episode is boring. There's nothing really wrong here, but nothing interesting happens and there aren't any funny jokes. Meh

Score: 5/10

[Meushell 52]

Overall, likable, but the fighting got annoying quickly. Probably because the method of fighting was supposed to be funny, but I just didn’t find it funny. I found it a little uncomfortable that so much humor was made over an a feud where actual people died. It also just didn’t seem necessary. Just give the ponies different last names. 

[Astralshy 31,262]

This episode was okay nothing mayor positive or negative here in my opinion. I was certainly happy seeing Twili this much excited This trojan cake was the most memorable part for me. And I agree Twili and Flutter were really cute in this episode

 

 

[abronymouse 6,158]

Twi at the end

also just pumpkinin' my neighbours. 'sup?

 

[Iforgotmybrain 8,244]

This would be better if it weren't for the most blatant and cliche Appalachian stereotypes being present in this episode. They're even located in a place called the Smoky Mountains! I mean come on!

Still better than the last episode though. At least this episode is more engaging to watch.

Edited August 18, 2023 by Iforgotmybrain
typo

[ZiggWheelsManning 16,499]

Throughout generations, some fighting families just never learn  

[Antiyonder 1,825]

The episode is present on this compilation at the 1:26:05 mark:

A solo video will be posted when uploaded.

[Night Sky 1,592]

Twi at her best. To the rescue. Without Ponies like her and humans who remind us of her, both Equestria and this place would have flown apart long ago. 

If someone or some pony could only make two factions, be they families or nations, the folly of feuds which no one can even remember the origin of, then it isn't difficult to stop the fighting.

What is difficult, is to come up with some pony who WANTS to stop the fighting and has even a fool's hope of pulling it off.

It is for this reason, among so many others that Twi is a pearl of great (inestimable) price.