S06:E01+02 - The Crystalling

[Dracu98 139]

well, that was...something. I'm still not too happy about Starlight being a member of the main cast now, but they handled her anxiety and struggles very well. starlight and sunburst didn't get along perfectly from the moment they met, but there is room for more, and even though I'm not in the least bit interested in it, I think they've done a very good job. Shining Armor, Spike and the royal Sisters were all useful this ti- wait, where the heck did spike go once they found the spell to fix the crystal heart? am I going insane, or did he only appear in the train after that? well, anyways...we didn't get any more explanations about how alicorns work (except for the fact that this is, indeed, the first time it has happened), but there is a whole season to come to get some more informations about this topic. and we saw a changeling in the background at the end, so maaaaaybe we'll actually get a real season-arc again like in season four. that'd be really awesome.

 

overall, I'm not quite sure what to think about this premiere (how helpful!). we didn't get a new villain, we didn't get some answers about the whole alicorn-thingy (or some of the other thousands of questions the fandom brought up), but instead, a new character that brings up even more questions. I really want to believe that they are going to work on this during the season, but to be honest, I doubt it.

 

so yeah, I'll just wait for the rest of the season (and some reviews, WOHOO!) and see what happens.

[Simon 4,554]

 

 

My only big problem was how Celestia said that she and Luna weren't born as Alicorns. Faust said they were, but since she's not on anymore and they changed it I'm sad to see it not canon anymore. Hopefully we'll see an episode on how they got their wings/cutie marks.

 

 

Loophole on that, their exact words this episode were that it was an event "Equestria had not seen" and according to the journal of the two sisters they were born before Equestria being founded, so it's just not something that has happened since them

[Manman20x6 359]

I didn't like this episode.

 

The biggest flaw I can think of right now is a continuation of the season 5 finale's problem. Starlight's backstory is weak and not a satisfying explanation for how she turned out the way she did. Having said weak backstory play a big role in the episode just serves to further highlight how poorly thought out Starlight's reformation was.

 

Flurry Heart was... not as bad as I expected, but not that great either. I don't think I'm quite ready to warm up to her just yet, and I might not ever consider her a good character. But she was far from the show-ruining catastrophe that I feared she could be, so at least there's that.

 

Maybe my dislike of the episode comes from said fears about Flurry Heart making me go into it with negative expectations which tainted my perception. But I also had huge doubts about the season 5 premiere, and it turned out to be one of my favorite episodes in the whole show.

 

I think there are probably more problems I had with the episode, but I'm having a hard time pinpointing them precisely and putting them into words. I just didn't like this episode.

[SolyWack 482]

Starlight Glimmer, Spike (yes, SPIKE), and Sunburst made the premiere this season. Surprisingly, the main cast did not do a lot, AT ALL. They sucked actually. But I'm okay with that. It let others shine, even Celestia and Luna.

 

It might not be the best 2-parter, but I could feel a lot of emotion, so I say it was still very enjoyable. And they didn't do too much with the "all powerful baby" trope, so that's a bonus.

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

Starlight got Rescued From The Scrappy Heap, Flurry was tolerable, and Sunburst was the Ensemble Darkhorse of the day.

[Will Guide 21,325]

 

 

Loophole on that, their exact words this episode were that it was an event "Equestria had not seen" and according to the journal of the two sisters they were born before Equestria being founded, so it's just not something that has happened since them

 

 

Good Point, so technically, Celestia and Luna could still be naturally born Alicorns!

[Luminance 2,181]

I was surprised at Sunburst because to me is actually likable and I love his characterization. He's also a former pupil of Celestia so that's a bonus too! What I mostly love in this premiere is that Starlight and Spike were honestly developing a pretty good friendship as the premiere continued and i definitely want to see more if it in future episodes because it just works so well. I was so glad to actually see and hear Twilight's parents!!! they need to focus a future episode later in S6 about them. 8/10 for me! Well done Hasbro.  

Edited March 26, 2016 by MiataPony

[Delzepp 2,939]

sorry........but..........

 

most boring season opener ever

[Adamgreen 1,129]

The truth is, this was not the best mlp season 6 premeire i have ever seen. I don't mean that is bad, it was good, really really good, but the suspense is well, season 3-ish and not enough drama put into it with starlight and sunburst. Although all can say good about this is the character's great as always, decent story with people think it's refrencing frozen, and good character development with Starlight (I ship it. Starburst).

I'm going to see the part of Shining Armor go insane and Twilight go insane in season 2.

7/10

 

derp on the go. eh? well it's pretty average but still a pretty good episode. Just not what i was expecting.

[JonasDarkmane 19,777]

I loved how they executed the premiere :D It felt more realistic. How they handled Starlight and then the threat (without having a villain) <3 <3  

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,328]

Pros: 

 

• Spike and Starlight interact amazingly. One of Spike's best performances.
• Starlight's development here.
• Starlight and Sunburst the way they interacted

Cons:

 

• Flurry Heart is a slight nuisance.

All and all, 9/10

[Aurora Glimmer 494]

It wasn't anything special, but it wasn't half-bad, either. 7/10

Edited March 26, 2016 by Silvestra Spooner

[Duncanslab 2]

This season Is already showing potential and im loving it! (See what I did there? Im lovin' it new pony already is sponsered for mcflurry

[Kevin 160]

What I liked most about this premiere was the chemistry between Spike and Starlight. Dare I say this was one of the best written Spike characters to date!

 

I'm still not sure what to think about Flurry Heart though. Her being born an Alicorn feels like to made Twilight's path to becoming an Alicorn herself a bit moot considering she had to earn it. Plus, her being born with all that power and not knowing what she can do falls into the "cliche" category for me since this kind of writing has been done before.

 

While the rekindling of Starlight's and Sunburst's friendship felt very awkward at first, eventually it came out. At times I felt like shouting "Just spit it out aleady and get on with it!"

 

The biggest surprise was not only seeing Twilight's parents make an appearance, but hearing them actually speak! Plus, it was nice to see Celestia get back into action again considering we didn't see much of her last season.

 

All in all, not a bad premire at all! I'm mostly looking forward to seeing more development of Starlight's character.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Kevin

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

Poll has been added.

[BlackWater627 700]

 

 

Also, TWILIGHTS PARENTS TALKED. I know, it dosen't seem important, but i wished this for so long and i am extremly happy.

 

I know! That really shocked me, but I'm extremely pleased. 

 

I wonder if they'll show up in later episodes. That could make for some interesting interactions. 

[Dark Qiviut 22,160]

 

 

Her being born an Alicorn feels like to made Twilight's path to becoming an Alicorn herself a bit moot considering she had to earn it.

I gotta disagree here for the reason Simon posted earlier.

Loophole on that, their exact words this episode were that it was an event "Equestria had not seen" and according to the journal of the two sisters they were born before Equestria being founded, so it's just not something that has happened since them

 

Journal of the Two Sisters stated that naturally-born alicorns do exist. So just because some characters are born alicorns doesn't mean ponies who became alicorns feels cheapened.

[skysweep 541]

Hmmm what to say....

I would say I love Sunburst and Starlight and their developments. Its quite a heartwarming thing and I feel it touches closer and closer to home because they are not in the perfect sheen we see the rest of the cast too often. Other than their talents, they are just regular ponies trying to live a life and puts the "perfect princess" lessons into perspective. 

The way that arc ties in with repairing the damage the baby done was also really good. The shifts of focus from Starlight to the castle issues I found quite smooth. Of course the ponies do need a class in being more aware of their surroundings.....

The baby was predictably quite out of place. But I guess you need something to cause a problem. I would say that there could be a lot done about fixing the baby, but then again, I do go into this with a lot of angst against the baby from the breadcrumbs leading up to this. So I dunno, I might be biased, and that Hasbro could have been more subtle with the baby. 

 

Of course, this isnt packed with the big booms we normally come to think of in the season premieres, but a more creeping and encroaching danger, looming threats as opposed to overt destruction. Having a little bit of that wrecking wouldnt hurt now would it? Not from the baby, that doesnt count.

 

But overall, I felt strongly enough for the other characters to overlook the transgression called "Flurry Hearts". Hopefully the way the season plays out would be more along the heartfelt lines of Starlight and Sunburst.  

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,219]

There is another thing I want to say: I actually DON'T hate Starlight now. Imagine that. I am not completely sold on her, considering what she did before was pretty atrocious, but she at least seems like she is trying to be somewhat likable now and I can't deny she has a cute voice. Who knew a character could seem cuter just by changing their hair and making them not be a complete psycho-bonkers time destroyer. So congrats on that writers, keep that going. MAke her Spike's close friend/buddy and we are golden.

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

That was a very enjoyable, heartwarming and well done season premiere, I loved the interaction between Spike and Starlight and thought that was very well done, I liked seeing Celestia and Luna in action and seeing the Crystal Empire, I also liked Flurry Heart and found her much less annoying than I was expecting. Seeing Sunburst was great and I'm glad they introduced and explained why he and Starlight broke apart especially since they now both relate to each other. Also great seeing Twilight and Shining's parents at the end and I laughed seeing Shining all stressed out like that, looks like it runs in the family lol.

 

10/10 episode!!

Edited March 26, 2016 by MLPFanatic34

[Meson Bolt 2,647]

Well, I can't say this episode was one of my favorites, but it definitely was better than I expected.

 

I'm VERY glad that both Spike and Starlight didn't turn out to be simply mediocre characters like they have been for me in the past. Spike was always the "great guy who's mistreated or misused", and to me Starlight was the worst character going in. I really disliked her cliche "rough backstory excuses bad behavior" in the Season 5 finale, but seeing her have to cope with her own guilt is... well, a bit better for me. She's a LOT like Sunset Shimmer and Luna in this regard, and I LOVE character arcs like this.

 

As for Flurry Heart, I... well, I really hate her. I know you can't really blame babies for doing bad because "they're babies" and "they don't know any better", but this is just awful. Let me explain my points:

1. Hasbro made her an alicorn right off the bat. And when this was brought up, when Rarity asked "Shouldn't alicorn wings be earned?", the others were all "Oh, well she has wings so who cares and why ask?". To borrow a line from FluttershyFiM, this episode does an excellent job of addressing then promptly ignoring its own plot holes.
2. So she's an alicorn, was born into a royal family, and has OP magic and OP flight. She's my worst nightmare come true, a bad OC implemented into the show's canon. Fortunately I think they've put a suppressor on that weapon so she might be a bit less of a destructive force, but still.
3. She was the ONLY plot-starter for the entire episode. We don't get two-parters very often, and when we do, I expect there to be an interesting and dynamic conflict which has an interesting solution, but in this case, it's a deus-ex-bad-OC conflict and a deus-ex-Sunburst ending. You can't really rat on the ending because they kinda had no choice, what with bad OC alicorn destroying everything, but the start was just horrendous.

Overall, while I don't hate this episode, I still really hate Flurry Heart. I just hope that a] whatever magic or flying ability remains suppressed, and b] that she simply becomes a prop for Cadence or Shining Armor to show up with.

 

As for Sunburst... I really like this guy. He's a male character who's not only helpful, but has an interesting (albeit rushed) character arc, he's NOT a plothole (and I don't mean a fluctuation in the story), and he's not stupid. He's better than most male characters, and I think I like him even more than I like Shining Armor.

Speaking of Shining though, his stress is amazing! It looks like stress runs in Twilight's family, and I hope to see more of this explored in the season. Just a side-note there.

[Cleverclover 1,525]

Wow, I'm just stunned......stunned about how right I was. 

 

The writers took the "please feel sorry for me" route for Starlight, and it appears to have done the job. In any case, I do like how they showed that her severe anger issues are still a thing. Show's that her mental problems haven't been entirely glossed over. 

 

Flurry Heart's supersonic scream, which started all this trouble, is flat-out nonsensical. If you'll notice, her horn never glowed at all when she did it, meaning that it had absolutely nothing to do with magic and is just some power that she inexplicably has....for some reason. 

 

In any case, I'm sincerely questioning whether or not the mane five are still main characters. For the second two-parter in a row, they've done absolutely nothing noteworthy, and overall, it's starting to show that they really just aren't that useful anymore. With Starlight now around to devalue them further, what other use could they possibly have to the show? Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were relegated to convincing an obviously braindead group of citizens to evacuate while Pinkie and Rarity were mostly just trying to tame Flurry Heart, which was obviously beyond them.....and that's about it. But naturally, Twilight was still front-and-center when it came to figuring out what to do, and Starlight managed to make herself useful when it came to restoring the Crystal Heart. So there's no need to worry about Twilight being stripped of her status as the main character, but Starlight is now comfortably situated directly underneath her in terms of importance, with the mane five dangling somewhere else. 

 

Overall, this shows that FiM will now handle seven main characters just as poorly as Equestria Girls does. When it comes to two-parters, there's probably no reason to expect anything from the mane five anymore. But then again, it's possible this will be the last season, so...

 

Worst premiere to date, in my opinion. How such a crappy writer like Haber has rose through the ranks to replace McCarthy, whom I now sincerely miss, is a complete mystery to me. 

[Jeric 46,834]

I think I'm getting used to FH.

 

BTW, I think every parent, especially fathers, can relate to Shining Armor.

 

Yes. Yes. Yes. In a chat I was in I had to react to this ... and all humor aside it wasn't really much of an exaggeration. At least for me, it was pretty much a close depiction of exhaustion meets anxiety meets bliss.

 

I really want more Shining Armor scenes like these.

[Allen 1,371]

The 2-part premiere episode of the sixth season is "awesome"!  Even with Flurry Heart, she's gone berserk, cried out hard broken the Crystal Heart, and then I say to her to "stay calm" while the Crystal Heart is being repaired to blast away the snowstorm to save the Crystal Empire. Of course I like to have cold and frigid air under 32*F (0*C) in that place! 

[King Sejong 858]

   It was a pleasant surprise, this more than just a baby introduction plot, it was also an adventure and discovery, as the ponies learn about magic and friendship. Starlight Glimmer is now a student of Twilight Sparkle, so she starts the story with a task, to meet her old friend Sunburst, Starlight's unicorn stallion friend, who's departure would cause Starlight anguish, and set her on a path to cultural equality, at the end of magical assault. Twilight proposed to Starlight, that she should have closer and meet her old friend, meanwhile, Cadence and Shining Armour struggle with their new baby, an alicorn, much to everyone's shock, as Celestia said the first born alicorn in many years. The baby's magical powers cause concern, as she causes destruction and chaos, as the ponies try to understand how to fix this issue, until the crystal heart is shattered by a shock wave from the baby, allowing the winter to close in on the city. Starlight goes with Spike, to find Sunburst, yet Starlight is apprehensive, she is uncertain how she would speak to Sunburst, nevertheless, they meet, and I was impressed by Sunburst, he seems like a nice chap, the sort of pony who could use a friend. The public is unmoved, anxious for the Crystalling, a royal ceremony of introducing, like the Prince of Wales, or the Dauphin of France, as the winter intensifies, next, Starlight and Sunburst admit they're shortfalls, for Sunburst was not much of a success that Starlight was expecting, and Sunburst was surprise that Starlight had done harmful, yet spectacular magic, as they confessed their sentiment, and embraced each other as friends again. Sunburst knew enough magic, to tell the ponies to continue with the crystalling, to fix the crystal heart and subdue the baby's magic. We get to see Twilight's parents again, and we get the baby's name, Flurry Heart, as Spike tells Twilight Sparkle, that she must let Starlight Glimmer learn independently, as Sunburst become her friend and the main wizard of the Crystal Empire. Finally, this was a good introduction, I don't know if season six is the last season, but even if it is not, this was a great start, I liked Sunburst, he was a humble and reserved pony, I hope we see him again, it was also nice for Starlight Glimmer to connect with her old friend, there were a lot of feels, and I hope to enjoy this new season, for the year to come.