S07:E10 - A Royal Problem

[Peter16373 103]

I think it's impossible to be civilized in an episode that includes the words Starlight Glimmer. Not to mention this was the highly requested Princess episode so there are bound to be Starlight haters coming in and say she ruined the episode even if she was the best part about the episode like Rock Solid Friendship.

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

 

Sadly, I am actually going to miss this one due to having to work, so will have to catch it a little later. That being said, I bet I will hear the screams of anguish from assorted people in the air.

I am pretty neutral about it all. I really would like to see the royal sisters get a good episode, and am a little baffled about Starlight's place in it all, but it is not that big a deal to me. What makes it so important I suppose is that It has the ability to be an amazing episode overall and perhaps grow the sisters some, or a tragic loss of potential for the characters if fumbled. Either way, it is sadly doomed since no matter how good it is, five seconds after it starts the same people will start complaining how bad it is because they have already built up so much frothing hatred for it that it has no chance to succeed or fail on its own merits.

 

 

 

 

[Mesme Rize 15,683]

4 hours ago, BlinkZ said:

i'm not sure what to think. 

"LUna and Celati don't get along"
newflash "water wet!"

i just..gah!! you think they be pasted such pettiness after you know nightmare moon thing

You can't expect that 2 sisters will always get along with each other. There are always good and bad times when it comes to sisterhood and the same goes for the rulers of Equestria. It makes their characters more interesting, because always being a character that is a goody twoshoe is boring.

 

Besides, i am pretty sure Luna has learned by now to not let her jealousy get the better of her. We shouldn't look at her as a ticking timebomb.

[Jeric 46,851]

8 hours ago, Lambdadelta said:

Secret of my Excess is awesome. 

Has perhaps one of the best 'show don't tell' scenes in the show, on top of one of the sneakiest altered perception scenes ever that changes the whole interaction between two characters once you realize it. SomE was outstanding! 

I an pretty much ready to see this and discuss my initial thoughts, and see if I can offer any unique perspectives on this one. 

Luna is ready for her close up!

 

Celestia?

Oh there you are!

 

 

I'll die if there is a cake joke. RIP me. 

[Foxy Socks 2,599]

I cannot wait. I just hope they don't make Starlight seem too bad. She should probably learn not to do excessive things to solve such problems. However, the potential is great, as it allows the sosters to see what it is like in the other's horseshoes (forgive the pony terms).

It seems lime an actual good thing, and may be a good idea. As long as it doesn't cause too much trouble it seems good. It does say she did it impulsively, which could be a bad thing. Being enthusiastic to help is okay, but I hope she knows what she is doing.

Of course altering the powers of the most powerful ponies in Equestria has its risks. What if it endangers not only the sisters, bit Equestria itself? It depends on how much her spell would alter them. Would they still get their jobs done? Obviously not in the same way, but I am sure it would work somehow. The spell could be reversed if it ever became an issue, but that might prove difficult, though it should be undoable.

Basically this episode has two potential paths to take. One, anothe rone where Starlight learns a lesson on not being to haughty, which many do not want as there have already been a few on that, and Celestia and Luna learning to not be so quick to judge each other. So either Starlight or the sisters will be the main learners in the episode. If Starlight is the main one, likely the sisters will learn a lesson too.

Either way, I am very excited for it. I prefer Starlight not being so overconfident to cause a bigger issue, but perhaps she would learn for good if it endagers Equestria. We shall see.

[Will Guide 21,360]

3 minutes ago, Jeric said:

Has perhaps one of the best 'show don't tell' scenes in the show, on top of one of the sneakiest altered perception scenes ever that changes the whole interaction between two characters once you realize it. SomE was outstanding! 

What in SomE was the best "show, don't tell" scene you're talking about?

I mean, I was there for Spikezilla!

[Megas 27,610]

Gonna have to wait to watch this one, but I'm gonna try to avoid everything about this episode like a fucking plague until I watch it

[Jeric 46,851]

4 minutes ago, WiiGuy2014 said:

What in SomE was the best "show, don't tell" scene you're talking about?

I mean, I was there for Spikezilla!

Until CotLM, it was my favorite scene in the show. 

And no, I do not do the Sparity thing. That bit was phenomenal though. Spikezilla was fun too.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

1 hour ago, Jeric said:

I'll die if there is a cake joke. RIP me. 

The writers need to rewatch season 2 and put the fancier cake in this ep and make Celestia eat a half of it. Do it HasBRO!!!

bonus: if Luna eat cakes with Celestia, i will kick my plushie away.

[Steve Piranha 29,421]

I'm gonna have so much fun with this episode yo 

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

I am not really hyped for the episode. How can I be with the last 4 episodes being mediocre at best (It's my opinion, don't hate me for thinking that Parental Glideance is not a good episode)? It makes it harder that there was one absolute atrocity thrown in there for good measure ("Hard to Say Anything")...

[Jeric 46,851]

10 out of fucking 10. That is all. 

Tabitha killed it as Luna! Nicole Oliver similarly did a phenomenal job. Starlight's tendency to use magic impulsively was addressed well (and apparently mandated by the Map). 

Pancakes are not cake! D:

And screw you character counter! I can't edit this the way I want. Suck it!!!!

 

[Mesme Rize 15,683]

Now i better write here first, before everyone is starting to tear eachother apart. I will say that i liked the episode. It wasn't perfect, but it's not the horrible mess that the doomsayers predicted.

I can understand what Luna and Celestia are going through. A few years ago, i had an argument with my mother, because we where both working and where very tired. I worked in the office for 9 hours, she in the kitchen for 5 hours. I kinda said that she can't be this exhausted with only 5 hours of working, but i didn't consider that she was older then me and standing the whole time in the kitchen is way harder then sitting in an office chair for 9 hours. Celestia and Luna pretty much have the same situation here.

What did i think about the swapping thing? Was it extreme? Yeah, kinda. But let's be honest, what should've Starlight done? Obviously, they both couldn't come to an agreement in a normal way, so you have to act differently. counting on your gut is not always the best solution, but it's better then to stand around and do nothing.

It was funny how Luna was trying to smile the whole time and solving the wilderbeasts problem. Celestia in the dreams was probably the most interesting thing for most people though, with daybreaker.

Though, i think the only problem i had with this episode was Twilight. I like her, but this episode could've done without her.

All in all, not perfect, but very good.

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

Best S7 episode until now. Now imagine how the S7 ending will be like. 10/10

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,434]

This episode wasn't QUITE as bad as I thought it would be, but I still didn't exactly like it all that much. The best parts were obviously Luna and Celestia, but imagine THAT in a slice of life style episode? Now I don't know if we will ever get that. Starlight switching their Cutie Marks with no issues whatsoever AND it having to last 24 hours was still pretty dumb and the end of the episode basically glorified that she did such a thing. This is the same exact magic she used to enslave an entire town of ponies and she gets cheered on for doing it again on a whim? Boooo. I am all for forgiveness but come on, they should have said something about it, like 'Don't do that so impulsively next time.' Anything would have worked. 

There are good things in the episode for sure. Seeing Daybreaker technically become canon was awesome, as was her dialogue and the while I feel the idea of the premise was forced, the dialogue between the two sisters was good. Also Luna's dream was quite eerie, in a good way, it got the tone across. Seeing the sisters appreciate each is also a nice thing, if only it was under different circumstances. The ending was a tad interesting since Starlight said she didn't do anything about the spell. Could indicate that the map did it or some other force. 

It definitely was not the worst episode ever and not even the worst of the season like I thought it could have been, but I still think it is very middle of the road. Everything with the sisters was good, but it could have been something so much better if it was under a different premise. I also still think that Starlight was out of place here. I know it was a friendship lesson and all that, but I don't remember Twilight having to solve any of the sister's problems in any way. 

So yeah, while I definitely seem negative here, the episode isn't terrible, it just wasn't for me. Some parts worked, other parts were meh. Maybe I will like it more upon a rewatch so I might be posting here again once I watch it again so take all of this as a potentially malleable opinion. 

 

[Photon Jet 5,491]

I wasn't lying when I said this was going to be an awesome episode! I LOVED IT! It's up the ranks with Parental Glideance and we FINALLY saw an episode featuring Celestia and Luna together.

Lemme tell you, I did not expect what happened in the second half of an episode. All in all, brilliant episode!

 

 

Edited May 20, 2017 by Photon Jet

[Mesme Rize 15,683]

5 minutes ago, Kyoshi said:

 Everything with the sisters was good, but it could have been something so much better if it was under a different premise.

Only want to say something about that line here. I think i said it before, since the fandom waited so long and anticpated so much from them, it's obvious that a bigger handful of people will be dissapointed by this episode no matter what.

Not saying that you're wrong, just an observation.

[ManaMinori 4,145]

siiiigh

Twilight's reaction at the beginning mirrors mine exactly.

WHY is the cutie map calling Starlight? She didn't help with the cutie keys to unlock the chest, or have a throe, which unlocked the map, so WHY?

and she should've learned not to use magic impulsively by now. Isn't that why she graduated her "friendship lessons"? and I find it hard to believe that the only solution was switching the friggin Princesses' cutie marks around, to make them live in the lives of each other. How about suggesting it, without forcing them!?

ugh! Crap like this just makes me dislike Starlight that much more. Positive enforcement like this only gives her reason to use magic for this king of crap. Which she shouldn't be doing, after "To Where and Back again", or "Every little thing she does" or "The Cutie map"

[Jeric 46,851]

Applejack's dream also made me want to cry. She still dreams of her parents.

[ManaMinori 4,145]

11 minutes ago, Kyoshi said:

This episode wasn't QUITE as bad as I thought it would be, but I still didn't exactly like it all that much. The best parts were obviously Luna and Celestia, but imagine THAT in a slice of life style episode? Now I don't know if we will ever get that. Starlight switching their Cutie Marks with no issues whatsoever AND it having to last 24 hours was still pretty dumb and the end of the episode basically glorified that she did such a thing. This is the same exact magic she used to enslave an entire town of ponies and she gets cheered on for doing it again on a whim? Boooo. I am all for forgiveness but come on, they should have said something about it, like 'Don't do that so impulsively next time.' Anything would have worked. 

There are good things in the episode for sure. Seeing Daybreaker technically become canon was awesome, as was her dialogue and the while I feel the idea of the premise was forced, the dialogue between the two sisters was good. Also Luna's dream was quite eerie, in a good way, it got the tone across. Seeing the sisters appreciate each is also a nice thing, if only it was under different circumstances. The ending was a tad interesting since Starlight said she didn't do anything about the spell. Could indicate that the map did it or some other force. 

It definitely was not the worst episode ever and not even the worst of the season like I thought it could have been, but I still think it is very middle of the road. Everything with the sisters was good, but it could have been something so much better if it was under a different premise. I also still think that Starlight was out of place here. I know it was a friendship lesson and all that, but I don't remember Twilight having to solve any of the sister's problems in any way. 

So yeah, while I definitely seem negative here, the episode isn't terrible, it just wasn't for me. Some parts worked, other parts were meh. Maybe I will like it more upon a rewatch so I might be posting here again once I watch it again so take all of this as a potentially malleable opinion. 

 

my thoughts exactly with th first paragraph. -headdesk-

it was nice seeing Daybreaker, and VERY unexpected with Luna's teeth falling out. creepy. But Starlight's involvement and cutie mark switching killed it for me

I'm all for a different premise.

[Jeric 46,851]

3 minutes ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

and she should've learned not to use magic impulsively by now. Isn't that why she graduated her "friendship lessons"?

No. It is not. In fact this was never a lesson in any of her appearances. Magic is a tool. It's how one uses it that matters 

Also, Map sent her specifically because of this trait of hers, and because it trusted her. It was also left up in the air if Starlight actually did the switching due to the masterful closing scene. You got your out. If you don't want Starlight to have done that because it's bad for her character, then the Map did it.

Amazing technique!

[Photon Jet 5,491]

5 minutes ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

siiiigh

Twilight's reaction at the beginning mirrors mine exactly.

WHY is the cutie map calling Starlight? She didn't help with the cutie keys to unlock the chest, or have a throe, which unlocked the map, so WHY?

and she should've learned not to use magic impulsively by now. Isn't that why she graduated her "friendship lessons"? and I find it hard to believe that the only solution was switching the friggin Princesses' cutie marks around, to make them live in the lives of each other. How about suggesting it, without forcing them!?

ugh! Crap like this just makes me dislike Starlight that much more. Positive enforcement like this only gives her reason to use magic for this king of crap. Which she shouldn't be doing, after "To Where and Back again", or "Every little thing she does" or "The Cutie map"

Perhaps the map knew Starlight Glimmer has outstanding potential and is a very valuable reformed hero in all of Equestria thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Almost like it sees into the future.

[ManaMinori 4,145]

3 minutes ago, Jeric said:

No. It is not. In fact this was never a lesson in any of her appearances. Magic is a tool. It's how one uses it that matters 

Also, Map sent her specifically because of this trait of hers, and because it trusted her. It was also left up in the air if Starlight actually did the switching due to the masterful closing scene. You got your out. If you don't want Starlight to have done that because it's bad for her character, then the Map did it.

Amazing technique!

no, the map did not do it, in the beginning. That was all Starlight. She said it was. And if the map could've done it in the first place, it wouldn't have called HER. makes me sick. That wasn't the only solution to get them to understand each other.

[Jeric 46,851]

6 minutes ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

I'm all for a different premise.

Ok. The Map did it, and Starlight was just the vessel for the conflict resolution. Starlight needed to feel her mistakes will lead to Equestria's distraction in her guilt so that she could have that nightmare that would eventually bring both sisters into alignment. 

It's a damn stroke of genius!

1 minute ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

no, the map did not do it, in the beginning. That was all Starlight. She said it was. And if the map could've done it in the first place, it wouldn't have called HER. makes me sick. That wasn't the only solution to get them to understand each other.

See above. The nightmare needed to happen so Glimmer was desperately required. Your twig strikes again. 

[Will Guide 21,360]

Found a video and my very first reaction is:

Yes! The Cutie Map finally sends Starlight on a  friendship mission!

Better watch the rest of the video first. See you in about 20 minutes!