S06:E25+E26 - To Where and Back Again

[Mortar 143]

Then what about the question Rainbow brings up at the end of Part 2 with asking how someone needs to fill them in on what happened between when they saw Starlight and Trixie off and when they found themselves lying in the remains of their cocoon prisons in the wrecked throne room of the Changeling Hive?

Surely, you've seen shows with a closing gag line.

[Sonic5421 423]

Surely, you've seen shows with a closing gag line.

 

Of course, but Rainbow's question still is probably what most Bronies are asking about in regards to how the finale went and everything that was left unanswered at the end.

[SunsetSparkle201 6]

wow. u guys have some good ideas... :3

[Tropico 226]

I loved this season finale. is not epic as other ones with alternative timelines or dragon ball battles but i find that's made with a diferent pacing, dialogues, and relationship between the characters that make it like idk, more mature or something. kinda like an adventure spin-off. i loved so much the way they resolved the problem: focusing on everypony's strenghts and relationships instead a super rainbow magic transformation that saves the day.

 

if from now on the show takes the path that this season finale took. i would be more than happy.

 

also i love changeling's new desing so yay. gonna miss the old ones tho

 

---------------------------------------------

edit: i just watched the finale again and yes, i still love it xD i laughed so much, it has lots of funny moments.

 

and the friendship with starlight and trixie is so pure. i never cared about trixie but with this finale that shows that she trully roots for starlight, made me appreciate her.

people ask why starlight didnt choose twilight to go to te village at the first time, and say it was rude from starlght. but i think it was normal. i mean when twilight S1 was a student and celestia told to go somewhere with friends, twilight didnt think to go there with celestia her teacher herself!

 

I agree that ALL the changelings becoming good was so fast. but chrysalis being the only bad changeling right now, can make a different and more dramatic revenge episode than just make another one like this that was more changelings instead chrysalis.

Edited February 3, 2017 by Tropico

[Vitaj 45]

At least they learned they should not reform all the villains they have ever spawned 

[Retired 83]

I loved the episode, but that changeling design.... eh... I don't like them.  :-P

[WokeSmeed 124]

Just watched the episode for the first time. Yes, I realize I'm a bit slow to watching it. If I wasn't so tired, I'd come up with some witty response. Anyway, here's my opinion.

 

Overall, it was pretty good, and it's one of my favorite episodes in the season. It's probably my favorite in the premiere/finale bunch. I liked that it focused on characters other than the Mane 6. As much as I like them, seeing new characters in the spotlight was like a breath of fresh air. Even your favorite foods can get stale after a while. Unless, y'know, it's honey. But who eats just honey? You're not a bear, stop doing that.

 

Also, the jokes were really good. I'm not a laugher, but the ones in these episodes actually made me laugh out loud. That's pretty hard to do. Since this paragraph is short, I'll give mention to the new design of the changelings. I'm not into it, especially Thorax's. He looks like the offspring of a moose and a rainbow (which is not something I ever expected to write.) It's going to be hard to get used to.

 

To end this, I'll have to bring up the fact that Chrysalis wasn't reformed. I honestly loved that. I didn't like how so many past villains were reformed, and seeing her refuse that was, like I said above, a breath of fresh air. If I had to guess, we're going to see her again, maybe with some more changelings or a different species. Maybe another villain we've seen. Tirek, maybe?

[3124567yuhgfdsew 31]

Maybe Chrysalis has several hives... At the end of the episode (when she slapped away Starlight's hoof, and ran away) where did she go? another hive or colony, seems like a plausible theory. DHX can possibly use this as the conflict in the Season Seven premiere, I think a Changeling vs Reformed Changeling war would be pretty interesting.  

Edited March 20, 2017 by Phisica.

[Luna Frost 11]

Howdy! I just adored the finale! I'm not too sure about the new changelings tho... What do y'all think about em?

[Hierok 11,831]

I just realized Chrysalis plan did succeed. Her former subjects are never hungry anymore. She would be happy if she had come up with it. 

 

Howdy! I just adored the finale! I'm not too sure about the new changelings tho... What do y'all think about em?

 

I think they're fine if you are used to them. In the beginning they were a little bit odd. 

Edited March 12, 2017 by Hierok

[Zachattack525 0]

LOL, the changelings talk like a bunch of chatbots. XD

 

Spike's "I've got my eye on you" motion is even funnier this than when Harry the bear did it to Rainbow. XD

I'm gonna have to say they sound like grunts from Halo.

[Kivil 1,721]

Ehem. ARE WE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT PONIES WALKING DOWN STAIRS?! OR HOW DERPY JUST SHUT TWILIGHT UP?! OR HOW TWILIGHT GOT EXPOSED AS A SELF CENTERED PILE OF HORSE?!?!?! The beginning was great. I felt the embarrassment when Starlight was dreaming, I called it when the changelings came back, I got worried when Luna was freaking out in the moon, everything was good in this episode! Not as good as season 4's finale. Here's the ting tho, is Starlight becoming the main character? That would suck some major suck. Just saying, I don't want to watch a similar pony to Twilight evolve into a social being. I want a character that won't change. That is one of the main reasons why I liked Starlight in the first place. She wasn't gonna give into the entire friendship thing. Buuuuut, just like everyone else (except Discord, I hope) they succumb to the power of friendship and are good forever. That was weird derailing, back to the main stuffs. I like how Trixie is still kinda manipulative and I really like how they finally brought some of the secondary characters to the forefront like the did in the 100th episode. Overall this episode was bound to be good but I am still kinda a little bit upset with how we never figured out where in the heck Chrysalis went. ALSO!!! It took Starlight two times of the power of friendship to make her give up evil... How many times is it gonna take to make Chrysalis succumb to friendship? How many times has it been now? 3? We will find out how many times it will take in the FUTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Casbyness 48]

Reforming Chrysalis would be a terrible mistake. She has a fanatical following as she is, from all sorts of demographics including very young fans who would find it very difficult to accept the change.

There are some villains who are too good to de-claw. Having Starlight and Sunset change their ways was fine. Discord's change was also okay because there's always the aspect of him being chaotic anyway, so even when acting kind he's still ambivalent overall. Chrysalis is outright fairytale evil queen villainous - I was terrifed they'd ruin this when Starlight tried to take her hand, Chrissie's rejection was a huge relief.

[Star48955 706]

Hey I just watched To Where and Back Again and my favorite part was when Starlight said changelings took "Princess Twilight and her friends" to Discord and he had a look on his face that said "I don't really care" but when she said her friends,Discord's head snapped up and he said "THEY TOOK FLUTTERSHY!?".I just think it was really sweet how much he cares for Fluttershy.

[Thrond 3,263]

It's cute, okay?

As I said previously, I really appreciate how this particular finale doesn't take itself so seriously. Seasons 2-5 all had progressively more pretentious and stiff two-parters, so those in season 6 come as a real breath of fresh air. This one isn't as tight as the premiere, but it's every bit as fun, and making me genuinely like Trixie (and, to a lesser degree, Starlight post-"Every Little Thing She Does") and want more of her is something of a minor miracle. Discord worked slightly less well for me this time around, and as with most episodes the time constraint is more obvious, but like the premiere, I could have watched five hours of this, let alone five episodes. The mane six getting captured on screen is clearly a throwaway setup, but that really just adds to the feeling of unpretentiousness if you ask me, and all the stuff about Starlight's anxieties is aces. Thorax is cute, Trixie is funny and surprisingly likeable, watching Twilight get totally trashed by Trixie in that one scene is very satisfying after so many episodes of her being miss perfect, the fake-mane six voices were off in all the right ways, and it's just such a blast to watch. That so much of the onscreen action here is just the protagonists acting uncertain is refreshing, and I wish the show would do something like that with the mane six for once. Total missed opportunity for a Cadance episode tho, but maybe we can have that later. 

And I don't know what you people are on about. The changeling reformation makes perfect sense. Should you be loyal to the warmonger who lets you starve, or the changeling who has now proven before your eyes that you don't have to? It seems like the changelings took the sensible choice, and I like it when fictional races act like actual people and not just vague baddies for the main characters to fight against. This isn't an action show, and it never should be, and the general lack of action in either of season 6's two-parters is what I want the show to do going forward. 

I'm so gonna miss Josh Haber. 

Score: 

Entertainment: 9/10

Characters: 9/10

Themes: 9/10

Story: 7/10

Overall: 85/100

Edited April 7, 2017 by AlexanderThrond

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

On 4/4/2017 at 8:49 PM, Star48955 said:

Hey I just watched To Where and Back Again and my favorite part was when Starlight said changelings took "Princess Twilight and her friends" to Discord and he had a look on his face that said "I don't really care" but when she said her friends,Discord's head snapped up and he said "THEY TOOK FLUTTERSHY!?".I just think it was really sweet how much he cares for Fluttershy.

Fluttercore is official canon now ;). I hope this trend will continue, stronger and stronger. More ships will be sunk after season 6, i can feel it.

 

 

[Lagrangian 64]

It was OK. I think the biggest issue is that it's another story that should have taken 3 episodes, not 2. I believe the length is why we have the rushed ending and why no one ever explains how the sun and moon are working if Luna and Celestia are comatose.

[Sassy Sweet 33]

Starlight gets a lot of hate on some forums but she is one of my favorite characters now.  I get that MLP is a kids show but they also have a lot of adult fans and she is the most realistic of all the characters.  "Reformations" should take time.  Not just "You showed me the path to friendship and everything is wonderful now!"  I like that she is hung up on a lot of her past actions and still isn't as totally happy-go-lucky like Twilight.  I am okay with Discord because it is pretty clear that while he might try with the others sometimes, it is pretty antagonistic with everyone but Fluttershy.  And he has to stay chaotic because with a name like Discord, what else can you do.  And this is the Trekkie coming out in me but, c'mon, John de Lancee?  Discord is the MLP version of Q to a perfect tee.  And it helps that I'm a Fluttercore shipper.

The hardest thing for me was the instant transformation of all the changeling drones.  Thorax spent probably the equivalent of months in the Crystal Kingdom soaking up love and when he first appeared, only his wings were different.  Then in a room where almost every one of the major players were out of it, boom, total way too colorful changeling transformation.  But maybe I'm just not too happy with it because it destroyed a lot of a head canon but s was mentioned, there is the posibility of more hives!  I do like the fact that Chrysalis didn't accept Starlight's offer of friendship.  I don't see her as the evil queen sterotype because in every episode she has been in, she has just been trying to take care of herself AND her hive.  But yeah, she's just below Tirek level to me with the chip on her shoulder and need for revenge.  Plus, she has always been my favorite villian and I hope to see more of her and hopefully way more of the changelings.

I was also pretty impressed with how they handled the last part of the story, where they have to get around obstacles without magic and just had to rely on their innate "talents" and wits. 

And on a final note, I am absolutely starting to fall in love with Trixie too.  She managed to be both totally adorbs and maintain her usual level of spunk.

[Hierok 11,831]

But Starlight's reformation didn't take that long. Like 10 minutes maybe. That's the only thing I don't love about Starlight. Her reformation was to quick. Discord reformation was much better. It reminds me of prince Zuko's reformation. From bad to almost good. Fall back inside evil and realize that good is not so bad at all.

 

[heavens-champion 1,905]

On 4/22/2017 at 8:14 AM, Lagrangian said:

It was OK. I think the biggest issue is that it's another story that should have taken 3 episodes, not 2. I believe the length is why we have the rushed ending and why no one ever explains how the sun and moon are working if Luna and Celestia are comatose.

I think it was the pacing. It should have had Starlight find out her friends were impersonated a lot quicker... and maybe have Discord interrogate the Changelings impersonating them.

Discord: Tell us where our friends are, or I'll turn you into tapdancing gingerbread ponies.

 

And have part one end with Twilight waking up in the throne room with Queen Chrysalis taunting her and gloating about Equestria being hers for the taking.

[Steve Piranha 29,419]

You know, this episode made this voice actor joke fancomic of No Second Prances funnier 

[Pastel 7,630]

This was much better than the season 5 finale. I liked how Starlight and the others just didn't have any idea how to rescue their friends, but still succeeded.

It was a fresh air from the mane 6's overconfidence they're having lately.

 

Really liked the design of the reformed changelings too.

Edited September 26, 2017 by Blobulle

[heavens-champion 1,905]

4 hours ago, Blobulle said:

It was a fresh air from the mane 6's overconfidence they're having lately.

"Overconfidence?" 

[Pastel 7,630]

8 hours ago, heavens-champion said:

"Overconfidence?" 

Maybe I'm wrong, but recently we no longer see the mane 6 hesitating as much as Starlight, Trixie, Thorax and Discord did in this episode.

For instance, at some point Starlight asks how they're going to destroy the throne, and insists "Any idea?? Nopony??", and nobody answers. We never see that with the mane 6.

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by Blobulle

[heavens-champion 1,905]

4 hours ago, Blobulle said:

Maybe I'm wrong, but recently we no longer see the mane 6 hesitating as much as Starlight, Trixie, Thorax and Discord did in this episode.

For instance, at some point Starlight asks how they're going to destroy the throne, and insists "Any idea?? Nopony??", and nobody answers. We never see that with the mane 6.

 

It was Starlight's first time saving the day.

4 hours ago, Blobulle said:

Maybe I'm wrong, but recently we no longer see the mane 6 hesitating as much as Starlight, Trixie, Thorax and Discord did in this episode.

For instance, at some point Starlight asks how they're going to destroy the throne, and insists "Any idea?? Nopony??", and nobody answers. We never see that with the mane 6.

 

You sure the Mane 6 were being overconfident in the past, and simply not making their plans up as they went?