S05:E23 - The Hooffields and McColts

[RainCode 61]

Interesting drawings...

When it came to the part about the cake, I was like "ponies are gonna jump out, ponies are gonna jump out!" Pretty cliché if you ask me.

 

To be honest, I found this episode to be slightly bland. It was good and I would watch it again, but something was missing. Perhaps it needs more blink-and-you'll-miss moments?

As the others said here, it was predictable, like some other episodes. Thing is that the others who are predictable usually have something else in store that doesn't make it seem dull.

 

Maybe I'm just missing a few things that I didn't catch along the way that would mute what I had previously said.

[Radiance64 7,053]

Kind of a bottle episode, but probably the best map episode yet! Loved Twilight and Fluttershy's chemistry here. Also probably one of the more violent episodes, I mean it's cartoony but sheesh, when Twilight froze them some of those ponies looked like they were going for the killing blow lol.

So yeah, fun and dumb episode. Not such a bad thing imo sometimes.

[Princess Book Horse 352]

We went from an episode refrencing a Bill Murray movie to an episode refrencing a real life 19th century feud in west virginia. I dig it

 

- Furry friends book club? SO CUTE!!!

- I've never seen a projection of the cutie mark come off the pony's flank and head to the castle before. Must be because Fluttershy would take too long to lave her cottage.

- BOOK HORSE AT HER FINEST!!!!!

- We finally get to see the Smokey Mountains!

- Ma Hooffield is my favorite new character in this episode.

- God, I sure hope the McColts don't leave the fandom after they find out about Twilicorn.

- "Well, if you ain't fer us, yer agin' us"

- Hey, food is food. Even if the Hooffields threw it at you.

- I love the spell Twilight used to make her voice louder, it reminded me of Harry Potter.

- A Trojan apogoly cake! LOL!

- THE ANIMALS! Won't somepony please think of the animals!?!?!?!?

- Everypony has been called by the map! What happens next? #ToBeContinuedYesIKnowI'mCorneySueMe

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Wow, very strong subject on this one. 

 

Loved the realism of this episode, how it ties to this world and the historic times where families feuded because of things like crops and other resources. The fact that the animals pushed through and talked to Fluttershy about the situation was just amazing. 

 

I'm glad Twilight learned a lesson that it's not always about trying to find the quickest way possible to solve friendship problems and be done. I think that's part of Twilight's problem from the end of Season 3: Finding her place as a Princess. 

[Celli 4,337]

It was a decent episode. Not the best, wouldn't call it bad, either. Better than last week's for sure.

I agree Twilight was a little insufferable most of the episode, and Fluttershy could have been a little less quiet.

The ending was definitely the best part.

Personally, I think the two writers for this episode are better at the slice of life episodes(Castle Sweet Castle).

Probably a 6.5/10. 

Edited November 15, 2015 by Celli

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,025]

Well that was disappointing as an episode compared to the rest of Season 5, but by itself it was nice to see Twilight and Fluttershy have an episode together.

here is my review

[BlackWater627 700]

 

 

Great episode! I loved how it was a Fluttershy and Twilight based episode, the two best ponies! And I also think it's nice to see these two paired up because we don't see that too often.

 

 

"Best ponies" may only be an opinion, but I agree! *brohoof* 

 

Also, down here is the southwest the original tale of the Hatfields and McCoys doesn't get around much. Had to look that one up myself. 

[Justin_Case001 4,880]

The Hatfields and the Mccoys.  Heh. 

 

Not bad a'tall.  Better than last week's, fo sho.  I loved seeing a Twilight and Fluttershy paring.  That's a pair that hasn't gotten much time together.  I feel like of all the mane six, those two probably know each other the least well.  As in, they've spent the least amount of one on one time together.  I kind of imagine those two being like the two friends in a group who are totally fine when the rest of the group is there, but if they're one on one, it just turns into an awkwards silence fast.  Don't know why, but that's a little bit of the impression I get sometimes.  So, it was great for them to do some bonding.

 

I liked that Twilight finally noticed that Fluttershy was having so much trouble with bag and helped with her magic.  Just a bummer that she didn't do that again at the end.  I realize that the gag was she (Twi) was distracted, getting all carried away again, but I kind of hope she quickly noticed and helped again.  Also--is Twilight secretly super strong compared to Fluttershy, or did she just load Fluttershy's bag with all the heavy stuff? 

 

Speaking of magic, we got some doozies from Twilight today.  I loved the, um...what would you call it....stadium announcer spell?  That was a cool trick.  She's on her way to being able to do The Royal Canterlot Voice.  And the mass-freeze spell was awesome.  She's definitely done that one before, but not on that big of a scale.  I like how it was a strain for her.  It also reminded me of Professor X freezing everyone at the beginning of X2.

 

The Trojan cake was a tad predictable.  Oh well.

 

Overall, very good story.  Simple, but good.  I liked that poor Twilight finally got to go on a Daemon adventure again, since she's really been itching to for awhile.  Though I have my reasons why I'm sort of morally opposed to the Daemon in general, but that's another thread altogether....which I have made.  :/  Anyway, the Daemon's motives are still unclear.  These families have been feuding for generations, since long before Twilight and the others were born.  Why did the Daemon wait this long to send them?  Why now, all of a sudden?  Does the Daemon actually have consideration for their schedules?  Does it pick the tasks randomly, with a specific amount of time inbetween?  I.e. only one Daemon event can be triggered per month, or if a Daemon event has been triggered, another cannot be triggered for a minimum amount of time?  One thing is for sure--the Daemon demands loyalty from those who serve it, but the rewards are great.  The Daemon takes care of its own.

 

So close to the finale now.  I'm scared.  Please let it be awesome.  One thing seems certain--it looks like the Cadance foal fiasco is going to go down exactly as I predicted; after the announcement, we won't see or hear a peep out of them until the little brat's already born.  A pregnant Cadance was too much to ask for.  But would a shred of character development from those two have been too much to ask for?  If you're gonna do a story that big, then you gotta do it.  Don't just ignore it.  Cadance having a foal should not be treated like some throwaway scene.  It was basically like: "Oh, btw, we're having a shindig in the Empire in nine months.  Be there or be square.  See you then."  And that's it.  That's all we get.  Actually, they should have just gone all the way and done it Spock style.  We never hear that they've had a foal, and then, sometime down the road, for some plot necessary reason, Cadance just casually mentions her now one year old filly, and Twilight just explodes, "WHAT?!  You had a foal?!  When were you going to tell me?!"  Cadance (utterly deadpan): "When it became relevant, as it just did."

[Cloud Strife 928]

This episode, for me, was probably one of the least noteworthy this season. It was decent, I suppose, nothing specific I could say wrong with it besides nitpicks that most people within the demographic of this show wouldn't care about, but it's just nothing really special, either.

 

 

There are some people who feel strongly about this episode and they're entitled to that, but I simply don't. It barely gathered a reaction out of me.

 

Fluttershy was adorable as always, though, so that's a plus.

 

EDIT: I did say I don't feel strongly about the episode so there's nothing for me to remark there, but when I'm reading earlier the vitriol toward Twilight's attitude... Geez, she just can't catch a break, can she? She's criticized for knowing everything and being too perfect, and now she's being criticized for not knowing what to do and acting like she does, and getting upset when she doesn't. Do keep in mind this is Twilight Sparkle we're talking about, here. Of course she'd be consumed with how much she can contribute because she was going through an existential crisis at the end of season 4 on what being a princess means. It's clear she wants to go about doing her duties, and she wants to do them as quickly as possible. She's getting a reminder of who helped her to become a princess in the first place. It's a pretty relateable message, I think; a lot of people in high positions tend to forget the people who helped them along the way.

 

I also didn't get the impression she was trying to boast, just trying to help. People like helping and sometimes can get consumed in that.

 

This is more than I wanted to say for the episode. You may feel free to give me a counter but I don't know if I'll be invested enough to give a response.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Lady Bow

[AlbaTross 1,586]

Well, I'd call this episode a huge improvement over the last one. I wouldn't say it's my favourite of the season, but it has good character moments. Sure, it's a tad predictable, but it's entertaining nonetheless.

[Varrack 1,080]

Kinda dull, predictable, full of cliché, but it was okay I guess. The cute Fluttershy moments made it alright, but it just wasn't amazing.

 

It seemed like the only reason the hooffields and mccolts got along at the end is because they realized they were affecting the critters. If there were no animals, then there'd be no reason for the feud to end. But honestly I don't think I could have written it better, simply because I don't think you can make a whole lot out of a basic plot like this.

 

I actually wondered why the two families can't just keep fighting (since it was entertaining to a degree and they seemed to like doing it) but of course..the magic of friendship bruh.

 

No strong feelings. Really liked Fluttershy tho. Was better than the last episode but still not spectacular.

[Silver Stream. 708]

Out of all the map episodes.....this was the best. And it usually takes a miracle for an episode to beat "applejack/rarity" episodes.

 

 

I was very satisfied with this one...but only "satisfied". It was a cliche.... but they did well to execute it. I'm also super proud of Fluttershy's execution too. I know she hasn't gotten a lot of screen time in this season, but this season seems to be the only one where her execution and development is consistent for once

 

 

Basically....I am simply impressed how they were able to avoid this episode being a complete failure. Usually plots like this are played out...therefore they flunk. They managed to make it satisfying. Plus it was an improvement from the last episode....which I still enjoyed only because they still execute Discord perfectly despite his "change of heart"

Edited November 15, 2015 by Princess Sunset

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

Basically a lot like last week, I thought it was one of Twilights best showings in a long time, she was neruotic and fun and hilarious. Great comeback for Twilight from the boring S4 Twilight. But Fluttershy man Fluttershy just got utterly steamrolled and overshadowed. For the character who was the "solution" in this one like Applejack and Pinkie in the other two map episodes Fluttershy here was just utterly forgettable she offered nothing new at all and basically did nothing beyond go "look how SHY I am" until her moment with the solution where it's basically just "I AM GOOD WITH ANIMALS". 

Just an incredible disappointing showing for a character who really needed a good one, I don't know if a character has ever had as weak a season as S5 has been for Fluttershy, Rainbow was kind of a huge jerk in S2 with not enough focus on her good traits until very late in the season, Pinkie was very frequently obnoxious in S4. But Fluttershy in S5 man if this was my first season I would of likely forgotten she was one of the main characters, she's had almost no presence or memorable moments this season.

But yeah I felt the sheer pit of dullness that was Fluttershy in this episode dragged it down.

 

Ultimately i think this is the weakest map episode, I think the premise is a bit stronger than Made in Manehattans but Made in Manehattan was funnier and took much better advantage of it's two main characters. So it wins out pretty well. 

 

That said it's still better than when most shows attempt the Hatfields and McCoys plot. Usually it falls horribly on it's face. It was at least DECENT here.

Edited November 15, 2015 by M'gann M'orzz

[dekutree64 713]

I loved it Feels more like season 1 than any episode in a long time. Just a fun little story and focus on two characters to solve it. All y'all saying it was dull, go back and watch some season 1 episodes. Remember our own roots, and why we came to love the show in the first place. It doesn't have to be all dramatic every time.

 

It was great to see Twilight and Fluttershy paired off again. First time since A Bird in the Hoof! And with Twilight not being insane over trying to please Celestia, she was much more considerate toward Fluttershy this time. Their friendship feels very warm.

 

The message was great as well, and very true of real war. Fighting just destroys the countries you're trying to protect. And the circular arguments that the families were giving when asked what they were hoping to accomplish were pretty realistic too There's just no reasoning with people when they're happy being angry.

 

My favorite line was when Big Daddy was going on about cooking up the pumpkins, "actually that all sounds pretty good..." A while back I was reading about this giant gun https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerer_Gustav and was thinking along similar lines, that the bullets are so huge that it would almost be a good thing to get shot at with the non-explosive ones because you get so much free metal

 

Twilight was pretty adorable all episode. About time she got some action. Last week's episode was depressing. It was fun to see her do a rendition of the Royal Canterlot Voice, and try to invent math to describe friendship. But once again, the 8 pointed stars puzzle me. Why did Twilight use one on the chalk board, rather than her own 6 pointed star cutie mark? Is she going to get her cutie mark upgraded to 8 points to match her castle? Or are the writers and/or animators just trying to torment me?

 

Also, I loved the 300 reference.

 

...and those Hooffields and McColts are so inbred they make the Apples look genetically diverse

[4april 374]

Twilight was pretty adorable all episode. About time she got some action. Last week's episode was depressing. It was fun to see her do a rendition of the Royal Canterlot Voice, and try to invent math to describe friendship. But once again, the 8 pointed stars puzzle me. Why did Twilight use one on the chalk board, rather than her own 6 pointed star cutie mark? Is she going to get her cutie mark upgraded to 8 points to match her castle? Or are the writers and/or animators just trying to torment me?

 

I just found a topic for my PhD thesis(which I will do in another 10years). Mathematics to describe and predict friendship.

 

Firstly the episode was very enjoyable. The humour was simple great. I love how all the characters act so naturally.

 

The lesson was very good. I am from India, a country which constantly fights with its neighbour Pakistan.

 

Indians and Pakistanis are actually the same people, with similar culture and history. And now we fight over a piece of land in Kashmir.

 

The ones who suffer the most from this are the residents of Kashmir ( the animals). It is actually a very beautiful and peaceful valley.

 

The governments of both my country and India need to learn this,(and watch the episode).

[Broken Gear 29]

I just watched it and  I must say I find it to be on low-average part of my scale.

Most of the jokes were not that funny and often predictable. The resons for conflict were weak and resolution was sort of unrealistic. And as much as I liked that Twilight finally got to do something (I felt so bad for her when she was so bored, even though she kind of did it to herself), pairing her with Fulttershy was odd for me. They made an effective duo in the end but still... not the most compatable sets of skills. I liked that there were a lot of references to Greek history. Than again, the show already has a lot of them.

 

As a side note, how in the world does one turn theories about friendship into equations?!

And how did they breath inside that cake?!

[Luffyiscool 397]

This episode joined Mare Do Well, Princess Spike, and Appleoosa's Most Wanted on my "meh" list. 
Hopefully I can come back to it at some point and enjoy it more.

[VengefulStrudel 1,486]

Well, felt that was alright, nice to get some Fluttershy/Twi bonding (or shipping, depending on how you view it ). Had some cute and funny moments in~ The source I watched it from had some audio desync and some frame stuttering, that took from the enjoyment a bit, but ah well, not the episode's fault. Anywho, we are drawing closer to the season finale! Looking forward to it~

[Megas 27,556]

 

 

EDIT: I did say I don't feel strongly about the episode so there's nothing for me to remark there, but when I'm reading earlier the vitriol toward Twilight's attitude... Geez, she just can't catch a break, can she? She's criticized for knowing everything and being too perfect, and now she's being criticized for not knowing what to do and acting like she does, and getting upset when she doesn't. Do keep in mind this is Twilight Sparkle we're talking about, here. Of course she'd be consumed with how much she can contribute because she was going through an existential crisis at the end of season 4 on what being a princess means. It's clear she wants to go about doing her duties, and she wants to do them as quickly as possible. She's getting a reminder of who helped her to become a princess in the first place. It's a pretty relateable message, I think; a lot of people in high positions tend to forget the people who helped them along the way.

 

I also didn't get the impression she was trying to boast, just trying to help. People like helping and sometimes can get consumed in that.

 

This is more than I wanted to say for the episode. You may feel free to give me a counter but I don't know if I'll be invested enough to give a response.

Yeah, I'm surprised about this too, I actually thought she was the episode's highlight. I loved her over-enthusiasm

 

Yeah, I can see why some found her a bit more arrogant recently but honestly.....I'm kinda liking seeing a slightly more arrogant side of her

Edited November 15, 2015 by Megas75

[Envy 6,137]

Enjoyable enough episode with fun character designs. However, it was very predictable and Twilight's personality seemed a bit weird.

[Makazi 317]

Just watched it, and it's alright. Twilight's characterization seemed accurate considering the cutie map hasn't called her at all recently and we can see from season 4 that she has concerns about not having an important enough role as a princess. It's not cool that she was largely ignoring Fluttershy throughout the episode, but I think getting swept up in the moment can do that to a pony, no?

 

Overall it's decent episode, but I'm not sure it's one I'd personally watch again. I'm going to give this one a 6 to a 6.5/10.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Makazi

[darkwingmare 1,296]

It was pretty boring and nothing really happened aside from Twilight being pretty stupid and two sides fighting over stupid things. I do understand why though, but couldn't they ever realize they could just go on ahead and help each other out? Since they both had different talents that could help the other. I guess that's how it is with real war as well, no one realizes the real solution before it's all ruins. It taught us a good lesson as usual, but it was kind of... Boring. It's as I've seen the same scenario a hundred times before.

However, I did like the designs of the background ponies and the different clans, the background ponies did the episode justice. <3 Cutiepies all over!

Fluttershy was a good pony for once in this episode and thought of a good solution, she also didn't hesitate to speak in front of a crowd this time. It was relieving not to get this annoying back and forwarding about her being scared and all that crap again. Believe me, I know how it is to live through hardcore stage-fright, I cannot overcome my own yet either, but it's starting to get really old with her insecurities by now, she's grown as a character. So yeah, she did good in this episode, she did good. Good job, I just hope they don't jump back on the same track again after this. All they needed was somepony who could understand the animals. Animals saved the valley! Woohoo! <3

[AkiraLeeJounouchi 857]

I don't really like how Twilight seems to be clueless about friendship this season. Gurl you've experienced that for 5 years now. You should be an expert by now. But typical Twili, has to over think things thats why we love her. You'd think that the princess of friendship would learn by now to go with the flow. Also I loved the overhead angle of Twilight and Fluttershy from when they went to see the McColts in their fortress. They looked extra cute, especially fluttershy. :3 Good episode, pretty much a black n white story, but still good episode.

Edited November 16, 2015 by AkiraLeeJounouchi

[MovieLord101 140]

Fun episode! I was expecting the opener to focus on Twilight being bored and agitated that the map hadn't picked her yet. I can only imaging how loud her squeal of delight was when her mark started flashing. All that build-up of her boredom for NOTHING.

 

This Saturday's Lauren Hall's episode, and finally the weekend of Thanksgiving.....SHE returns!

[cider float 2,537]

I saw that "Trojan Horse" a mile away.