Best/Worst Episodes of Season 7

[Music Chart Fan 818]

Now that Season 7 is officially over, what do you think were the best and worst (or, if you prefer, your favorite and least favorite) episodes of the season? You can vote in the poll above, and feel free to post and explain your choices.

To kick things off, I'll list my top 5 favorite episodes of this season, as I did for Season 4, Season 5, and Season 6. As a disclaimer, there were parts of some episodes that I really liked, even if those episodes didn't make my list. For example, I enjoyed watching "Twilarina" and her freakouts; Somnambula's legend was engaging, and both she and the Sphinx are surprisingly cute; and I liked both Twilight's fangirl reactions to Star Swirl and the team-up of Rainbow and Spike in "Shadow Play", among others. I just ultimately didn't like the rest of those episodes enough (or, in some cases, disliked them too much) to merit inclusion. So here, not necessarily in rank order, are what I believe are my top 5 favorite episodes of Season 7 (and I'll mention @Truffles, since he might be interested in this):

The Perfect Pear (Episode 13): This is probably the most obvious pick of the season, being both highly and nearly universally praised. This was another episode that grew on me even more after it first aired. There are too many emotionally impactful elements in the episode to be able to mention them all. I particularly remember Pear Butter's saying that the Apples are her family now too, and asking if Grand Pear is making her choose between the Apple and Pear families; Granny Smith's cheering up of Pear Butter after her decision to stay, indicating that Granny Smith had accepted Pear Butter into the family; and Applejack's introducing the siblings to Grand Pear, and saying "But you know who we are, don't you", driving the point that Grand Pear has never even talked to his own grandkids, and likely never talked to Pear Butter or Bright Mac again. Throughout the episode, it's striking how utterly sincere the Apple siblings are about learning the story of their parents, and how sincere the others who knew them are about wanting to tell their story. And even as we learn the bittersweet tragedy of Pear Butter's and Bright Mac's story, the episode closes on a hopeful note: the ice has been broken, and the Apple siblings can feel more complete in learning about their parents and being inspired by their example; Grand Pear has reconciled with what remains of his family on the Apple side; and all of them discover the intertwined pear and apple trees, standing as a testament to Pear Butter's and Bright Mac's commitment to each other, despite their families' feud.

Once Upon A Zeppelin (Episode 22): I'll admit that it's frustrating to watch Twilight being shuffled from event to event without her questioning or attempting to negotiate her obligations, and Star Tracker really became annoying to me over the course of the episode. But there are several other elements of the episode that I liked. To start, I appreciated Twilight's telling Spike that he's as much a part of her family as anyone, and Spike's insistence that Twilight take a vacation with her family. I liked seeing Twilight's parents developed a bit more. It's heartwarming to see Twilight's family's concern about whether she's able to relax and enjoy herself, too, as well as their trying to make up for Twilight's missing the Northern Stars. Cadance's heart-to-heart talk with Twilight was good as well. Finally, it is clever how Iron Will, despite being physically imposing, didn't threaten violence to get what he wanted, instead using legal yet underhanded tactics to get his way.

Parental Glideance (Episode 7): As I discussed in my original post on the episode, I did find Rainbow's parents' behavior obnoxious, and I didn't like how Rainbow is painted as totally in the wrong while Rainbow's parents are basically let off the hook. But, again, there are several other elements of this episode to like. After Rainbow's rocky start as a Wonderbolt, it's great to see her having real camaraderie with the other Wonderbolts; they poke fun at her parents' behavior, but do sympathize with her, and are happy to help with her special apology show. It's nice to see Scootaloo getting some love and attention from Rainbow's parents, and from Rainbow herself. And it's good that, by the end of the episode, Rainbow has repaired her relationship with her parents; I just hope that Rainbow's parents have learned to give a more appropriate level of support, too.

A Health Of Information (Episode 20): First off, I loved everything about the cook-off between Twilight and Spike: their enthusiasm, Twilight's sly look as she "recruits" Fluttershy as a second judge, Twilight's crestfallen reaction as Fluttershy says she packed cauliflower bites and not sweet potato muffins, and Twilight's pride in herself as Spike admits that Twilight's muffins were so good that he ate them all. Next, while I agree with Twilight's admonition that Fluttershy needs to take care of herself if she's going to take care of anybody else, Fluttershy's determination to find a cure is understandable. Also, Mage Meadowbrook is a reasonably likable character, and the bayou aesthetic in this episode was kind of interesting.

To Change A Changeling (Episode 17): Looking past Trixie's obnoxious behavior in this episode, probably the main thing I appreciate about this episode is the (somewhat surprising) relatability of Pharynx. I understand Pharynx's dilemma of feeling left behind in the new hive, that his skills and previous job that he took pride in don't seem to be valued any more. And Pharynx ultimately has good reason to be worried about the defense of the hive, even as he's the only one concerned about that. I liked that he still cared about defending the hive even after leaving it and feeling rejected. It's also nice to see Thorax draw out Pharynx's feelings about the hive, and to see Thorax and the hive appreciate and accept him, with all of that leading to his transformation. Thorax is likable in his earnest awkwardness. Finally, it's amusing to see the episode kind of poke fun at the changelings' newfound hippy-dippy culture.

EDIT: I didn't intend for the poll to require answering both questions in order to vote in it, but as far as I can tell, that's the only way that the poll can work. Sorry for any inconvenience that might cause.

Edited October 29, 2017 by Music Chart Fan

[Oleks 1,983]

I think that the best episode of the season was The Perfect Pear. It was a long awaited episode on a very important topic with some major (as for MLP) guest stars. And, in my opinion, it fully delivered.

However, my personal favorite is definitely Rock Solid Friendship. I just like Maud Pie and really enjoyed her interactions with Pinkie and bonding with Starlight.
Honorable mentions on my list: Parental Glidance, Once Upon a Zeppelin, A Royal Problem, It Isn't The Mane Thing About You.

My least favorite season 7 episode is Hard to Say Anything. MLP is a show about friendship, not romance, after all. It’s the only episode of this season that I don’t plan to rewatch. I'm happy for Big Mac though.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,360]

Best

The Perfect Pear: This one is obvious and deserves all of its praise. The characters were amazing, the backstory provided here was superbly done and the whole episode was an emotional ride. The voice acting was also perfection.

Parental Glideance: Like Music Chart Fan, this episode's one flaw was that it didn't properly adress RD's parents in terms of their obnoxious behavior, but I still really liked them. Seeing them finally was worth the wait, and I wish we could have seen RD and her parents interacting more.

To Change A Changeling: We got to see the reformed Changeling society, thorax was still great here, Pharynx I found surprisingly funny, and I liked the development for the changelings overall. Starlight and Trixie continued to be a very strong pair.

Campfire Tales: Was surprised by this one. I loved its atmosphere, I loved the stories and the sisters bonding. This episode also being a decently large setup for the finale was really cool too.

Worst

Fame and Misfortune: Holy shit what a terrible episode. This is easily one of the worst things ever produced by FiM. Taking an obvious jab at the fanddm is fine, but not when you sacrifice all logic and quality to do so. Doing that just makes the episode seem hypocritical in its message. The ponies that were all assholes made no sense, the ending with the two fillies was stupid because it seems to imply only the little girls appreciate the show and it is all sprinkled with terrible jokes, dumb ideas and extremely petty things being brought up, stuff that the fandom doesn't even worry about these days. 

A Royal Problem: One of the most disappointing episodes for me. All I was hoping for was a slice of life episode with the two sisters bonding, but instead we got the two sisters hating each other out of nowhere, Starlight being wedged in for no reason and a terrible cutie mark swap plot that only served to seperate the sisters for most of it. It wasn't even close to what I thought an episode like this could be.

That is pretty much it. I did not watch Honest Apple or Hard to Say Anything so they are not applicable. Every other other episode was either meh or very solid. Which, this was a fairly solid season, minus some bumps in the road.

[Thrond 3,257]

My favourites, at this moment:

A Flurry of Emotions (episode 3) - I find Flurry Heart very charming, and I greatly enjoyed the fast pace and humour of her shenanigans. Furthermore, this is one of the first episodes which I feel directly addressed how Twilight's nervous personality is affected by her new responsibilities, and I really liked how she was forced to balance princess duties with her mundane interests. It's one of the more sympathetic things she has had to deal with since becoming a princess, and is easily the most relatable challenge she's faced in years, if you ask me. I wish Cadance got a bit more personality, but the couple's scenes at the art show were very funny as well, and I just appreciated seeing them at all. 

Once Upon a Zeppelin (episode 22) - As with "Flurry of Emotions," I greatly appreciate how this tries to add some complexity to Twilight's princess status, and this one does a really good job of addressing what I had started to perceive as her overly high expectations of herself. I admit that I like the idea here enough that it would be pretty hard to screw up for me, but I also really enjoyed seeing Twilight's parents, as well as more fun moments from Shining Armour, and in general I think this episode has a really solid sense of humour. Again I wish Cadance was more three-dimensional, but as always I like how sweet she is. 

The Perfect Pear (episode 13) - I would have preferred even a little bit more explicit context about when and how the Apple parents... left, but the episode does strongly point to the parents being dead, even if a viewer who's "out of the know" would have to do some legwork to figure that out. Nonetheless, there's a sense of melancholy which I found really affecting here, and while I don't really care enough about the Pear feud or the parents' romance to consider this especially impressive, that flashback story is irresistibly cute, and the feud does lead to a lot of genuinely powerful moments which aren't quite like anything else in the show. 

A Health of Information (episode 20) - Some character issues aside, I just find this incredibly funny, and I really liked the relatively high stakes this time around. Essentially, it revolves around terminal illness, meaning this episode has as much to do with death as the aforementioned "Perfect Pear," which is surprisingly dark and adds a lot of tension to an already fairly entertaining episode. Plus, the moral is particularly strong, and is well built-up within the episode itself. I even liked the setting and "Pillar" legend more than I did most of the world building this season. 

Parental Glideance (episode 7) - God, Rainbow's parents are just so cute, and I really love seeing Rainbow as a Wonderbolt. This is easily her best appearance in years, and I loved how all it took to teach Rainbow the lesson was seeing Scootaloo's disappointment. I still don't fully agree with the moral itself, but everything leading up to it is so delightful, and the parents' enthusiasm would be infectious even if the episode weren't really funny. And even if the moral bothers me, having Rainbow be so sympathetic is a feature, not a bug. I like it when this show doesn't oversimplify a character for conflict's sake. 

Runners-up: A Royal Problem (which I have soured on but still like a lot), Discordant Harmony

[Nerdy Luigi 2,064]

Favorites: Shadow Play, Perfect Pear, A Royal Problem, Discordant Harmony, It Isn't the Mane Thing About You, (Unpopular opinion alert)

Fluttershy Leans In

 

Least Favorites: Hard to Say Anything, Honest Apple, Daring Done, (Unpopular opinion alert)

A Flurry of Emotions

[Thrond 3,257]

I'll keep my "worst" list short just to keep the mood of this thread relatively upbeat for the time being. My least favourites, at the moment: 

Hard to Say Anything - I'm not gonna rail against this for being toxic, because it knows the behaviour it's depicting is obnoxious, but I'm at a loss as to why any of this is supposed to be funny. Watching a bunch of unlikeable characters acting horribly for 22 minutes isn't worth a fairly rudimentary moral, and this is just gross and unpleasant.

Fluttershy Leans In - I like this show when conflict comes from within the main characters. I like when they're wrong and need to learn something, and I especially like when they have anxiety or self-doubt. This doesn't have either of those, and it barely has any chance of Fluttershy failing either, so I just found it completely boring. 

Daring Done? - The loudest, shoutiest episode of the show? Maybe. Nearly every line is exposition, which I just found really exhausting, and I got really annoyed by how quickly the episode discarded the most interesting parts of its premise. I really wish this could have actually been about Daring Do leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.

All Bottled Up - I don't watch this show to be exasperated, and Trixie's antics were never funny to me. Further, I found Starlight again finding an immature, dangerous magical solution to a problem, which despite certain differences felt like ground the show had already covered. Here, she lacks the anxiety which makes "Every Little Thing She Does" relatively tolerable to me, and Trixie being annoying doesn't help. 

Honest Apple - Applejack here is more insensitive than I expect from her, and Rarity's decisions to bring her along and then not shut her up before it's too late are never really justified. Honestly, though, I almost never enjoy episodes these two spend together, and it's really for the same reasons: the differences between the two are always exaggerated so much that one or both ends up becoming really annoying. 

Runners up - Fame and Misfortune, Forever Filly, Marks and Recreation

Edited October 29, 2017 by AlexanderThrond

[Megas 27,086]

Just gonna do the top 3

Best 

Perfect Pear - Long awaited episode featuring Apple Parents and did not disappoint. Best love story in the show via Pear Butter and Bright Mac. Lots of emotion with emotional implications, lots of juicy backstory for both the Apple Family and surprising connections like Mayor Mare and Mrs. Cake, tons of great new characters like Apple Parents, Burnt Oak and Grand Pear

Parental Glideance - What Newbie Dash should have been. An appropriate reaction to RD becoming a WB via her parents. Tons of Scootalove. It actually feels like a celebration of RD's character. RD's parents are fucking adorable, as is their bonding with Scootaloo. And the Wonderbolts aren't pricks

Once Upon A Zeppelin - Twilight's family finally gets their due. Her parents are fun and quirky as was Shining, Cadance's best appearance by far. Star Tracker is cute. The ending is beyond cute and heartwarming.

All 3 of the Parents episodes are some of the best episodes the show has ever put out imo

Honorable Mentions - Flurry of Emotions, A Royal Problem, Secrets and Pies, Shadow Play

 

I actually have difficulty thinking of episodes I actually disliked this season, only one I know for sure I dislike dislike was Honest Apple, but all after that everything ranged from 'meh' at worst, with a few choice moments of bullshit even here and there. Even "Hard To Say Anything" got some chuckles out of me

 

Best season of the show by far

Edited October 29, 2017 by Kiryu-Chan

[Sione 1,108]

Daring Done? Without a doubt, it was loud, sloppy and overall, just a very un-enjoyable episode. In fact, because of that very episode, it hindered the season as an overall greatly. 

It completely disregarded anything potentially good from occuring in the episode. I can tell they did not do much to suffice for that.

I did, however, like Secrets and Pies, but I can see the season, itself, took the breathe of its audience away, so 10/10 on the entire season.

[Nsxile 25,733]

Best:

1. Shadow Play

2. Fame And Misfortune

3. Campfire Tales

4. Uncommon Bond

5. Parental Glideance

 

Worst:

1. Secrets And Pies

2. Marks And Recreation

3. All Bottled Up

4. Fluttershy Leans In

5. Daring Done?

[n1029 224]

Best - 

 

Fame and Misfortune - The episode that answered all my prayers. Was nice to know I was not alone in my frustrations with the fandom but at the same time the moral reassured me that they know not to take it too personally. Plus it has one of the best songs of the entire series.

 

Campfire Tales - Mainly for how adorable Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were. The stories were good, but just witnessing how much RD had fully embraced the role of a supportive, comforting big sister absolutely made it for me.

Parental Glideance - When I first watched it I had mixed feelings on how the episode addressed RD's issues with her parents, but ultimately I believe everyone came to an understanding at the end about where the line was between support and embarrassment. RD may have had good reason to snap at her parents, but she still needed a moderating influence like Scootaloo to prevent the issue from getting out of hand and preventing chronic feelings of bitterness. Ultimately I just love how much their unique relationship plays into the story here, in addition to having all the laughs and feels I expect from MLP.

A Royal Problem - A surprisingly believable Celestia/Luna conflict helped by solid pacing and some great jokes.

 

Secrets and Pies - Just one of those really fun episodes that doesn't try to do too much but reminds me of how just deliriously entertaining the show can be sometimes.

 

The Perfect Pear - I think pretty much everyone else will have this covered. 

[Dark Qiviut 22,177]

Voted five in each category, starting with the best:

1. The Perfect Pear: The franchise's greatest episode, and museum-worthy. Nuff said.
2. Shadow Play: This episode gets better and better upon every re-watch. Dialogue on point. Everyone is perfectly balanced. Stygian is the show's best villain. This is a pinnacle of the season's trend of not pinning a black-and-white conflict.
3. Parental Glideance: The funniest episode of the season. WBs are likeable. Bow and Windy are excellent characters. Dash's rant comes when she's at her boiling point. Scootaloo's great.
4. Marks & Recreation: This is one episode where I'll rate higher than my personal preferences, but top to bottom, it's really well done. Rumble's reason for fearing cutie marks is justified. Thunderlane's inclusion makes sense and provides a very great moral. "Blank Flanks Forever" stands with "Like a Catchy Song" as one of the two good songs this season.
5. Discordant Harmony: Discord shows growth, and taking Pinkie's metaphorical advice too literally works well with his naiveté. Fluttershy shows how far she came, both in knowing Discord and her quick decision-making when he was in grave danger. Her telling the moral (one of my favorites) to him works brilliantly.

And the worst:

1. Infamy and Mistake-in-Writing: The 50 Shades of Grey of FIM. (Yes, I'm going there.) There's no care in the continuity, good characterization, or storytelling. The RM6 are suddenly famous because they released a journal, although they've been internationally famous since S3. Plot? There is no plot! The background characters, that the fandom knew and built a fanbase for 7 long years, are suddenly a bunch of assholes. Each "fan" is nothing but a eighth-dimensional caricature designed to stereotype groups of fans and the fandom at large. "Work in Progress" is the worst song of the season and one of the worst of the entire show for being emotionally manipulative and teaching a broken moral to handwave terrible writing over the years. To make it worse, it panders to little girls by including Coconut and Toola as token characters, as if to tell them they care for little girls while also lumping them in with the other shittily-behaving characters, too. Without any focus on the fandom, it's the show's most broken episode. Attach the fandom call-outs and ageist implications, and it's offensive. This episode is factually abominable and doesn't deserve the support.
    

   35 minutes ago, n1029 said:

   Fame and Misfortune - The episode that answered all my prayers. Was nice to know I was not alone in my frustrations with the fandom but at the same time the moral reassured me that they know not to take it too personally. Plus it has one of the best songs of the entire series.

   The assurance of telling the viewer to not take it personally is broken, because:

   1. Both the RM7 and stereotypes play the conflict straight and take each moment seriously.

   2. Twilight becomes devastated by what happened to her friends.

   3. The assholes don't learn their lesson. Even after the episode ends, Rarity, AJ, and Fluttershy still have problems that directly affect their livelihoods.

   4. Children — one of the show's primary demographics — are lumped in with them and talked down to.

   5. Larson states in a con that he disliked the episode (with a premise he was forced to stick to) for being mean-spirited and making no sense, and came up with an idea much, much better than this one.

2. Hard to Say Anything: Two words: unadulterated shit. The jokes are terrible. Characterization is terrible. Stereo Pop's one of the show's worst characters. The song is terrible. BM trying to kiss Sugar Belle while she slept is the worst moment of the season.
3. Honest Apple: This episode is pointless. Why the hell does AJ have to learn a lesson about tact seven seasons in the show? Rarity's characterization is really poor. AJ's is atrocious. It has the worst batch of new characters this season.
4. Secrets & Pies: Hamilton's worst episode. Pinkie is a colossal idiot. Dash was OOC for feeding Tank two panfuls of pies not once, but twice. Seriously, she cares for Tank a lot more than that, and to do it a second time (both in desperation to chuck the pie) makes her reckless. The plot rips off Party of One and stretches it super-thin. The dumpster pie is disgusting, not funny. Just about every joke fails.
5. A Royal Problem: This episode would be a lot better had Celly and Luna not heavily imply that they could never stand each other and personally belittle each other for their work in keeping their kingdom safe. They were so incompetent that Celly acted like she didn't know how to raise the moon (when she did so for 1,000 years) and had to witness Starlight punishing herself to stop their long fight.

Edited October 29, 2017 by Dark Qiviut

[Jeric 46,835]

Best is Perfect Pear, but I tossed votes to Glideance, Shadow, Flurry, Zeppelin, and Royal Problem as well since it's multiple choice. The family episodes this season were pretty damn great. That list represents a whole lot of relatability and bias. 

Worst is Hard to Say Anything. I'm not letting any other episode share the garbage pile with that one. 

[n1029 224]

55 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

• Both the RM7 and stereotypes play the conflict straight and take each moment seriously.

• Twilight becomes devastated by what happened to her friends.

• The assholes don't learn their lesson. Even after the episode ends, Rarity, AJ, and Fluttershy still have problems that directly affect their livelihoods.

• Children — one of the show's primary demographics — are lumped in with them and talked down to.

• Larson states in a con that he disliked the episode (with a premise he was forced to stick to) for being mean-spirited and making no sense, and came up with an idea much, much better than this one.

 

Well, yeah, it's hard to take criticism when you're initially exposed to it, but, as the mane 6 learn, they're never going to go away and you just learn to take it in stride. I have no idea you mean about children being "lumped in with them" as I'm sure some of the ridiculous complaints do come from kids as well.

I haven't seen what Larson said but I honestly don't give a shit what he thinks. I loved the episode when it came out and I'm not going to automatically hate it just because someone high up allegedly thinks I should .

Edited October 29, 2017 by n1029

[Hierok 11,829]

Best:

1. Perfect Pair
2. Discordant Harmony
3. Fame and Misfortune
4. Celestial Advicd
5. Shadow Play

Worst:

• Honest Apple
• Not Looking for Trouble
• Daring Done?
• Forever Fillie
• Triple Threat

[Dark Qiviut 22,177]

35 minutes ago, n1029 said:

Well, yeah, it's hard to take criticism when you're initially exposed to it, but, as the mane 6 learn, they're never going to go away and you just learn to take it in stride.

Except F&M didn't show any criticism whatsoever. The RM6 experienced pure abuse, yet the moral treats it as no big deal. Abuse is a big deal, doesn't deserved to be handwaved, and must be called out as such.

35 minutes ago, n1029 said:

I have no idea you mean about children being "lumped in with them" as I'm sure some of the ridiculous complaints do come from kids as well.

Because kids are stereotyped and caricatured along with adults, and they're among those who abused the RM6. Toola and Coconut are tokens representing the show's lead demographic.

35 minutes ago, n1029 said:

I haven't watched Larson's interview but I honestly don't give a shit what he thinks.

You don't have to care, but I recommend watching it when you have the time. Being the writer, he has the insight of what went on with the episode's development and succinctly explains the fatal problems with it.

Edited October 29, 2017 by Dark Qiviut

[Castle Bleck 19,174]

Best: Shadow Play -- for being such a game-changer in terms of worldbuilding.

 

Worst: Fame And Misfortune -- for turning Ponyville into Springfield (specifically the version from the Simpsons episode "The Boys Of Bummer").

Edited October 29, 2017 by The Artist Formerly Known As A.V.

[Ivan The Adorable 304]

 

There weren't a lot of episodes that blew me away entirely during this season, but there also weren't any episodes I outright disliked.

Best

Not going to fight the general wave. The Perfect Pear was absolutely my favorite episode of this season. It's a lovely little narrative framed through the charming lens of the Apple siblings getting to know more about the parents they've never really had the opportunity to learn much about. I already love Apple family episodes as a rule, but this one hit all of the emotional notes involved so perfectly throughout it's narrative.

Also threw votes to:

Celestial Advice: I have a lot of problems with the narrative developments regarding Twilight and Starlight, but every once and a while what they seem to be going for clicks with me. This is kind of the relationship I hoped and still hope to see more of regarding Twilight and Starlight, and for that matter Celestia. While not as lofty a production as many premieres, I enjoyed the themes and humor and anxiety of the characters all played upon here. It was a strong episode for tying together the two seasons, at the very least.

Parental Glideance: explanations of those above me seem to cover my feelings adequately.

Campfire Tales: Mostly it was just a fun episode in its own right with each of the elder sister characters taking turns acting as morale boosters for the younger ones and reflecting on their own elements in interesting ways.

Shadow Play: Overall a pretty interesting world building episode. Again, I have issues with the Twilight/Starlight relationship, but in a vacuum I like what the conflict was trying to set up between their dynamic here.

Worst

I threw in for Fluttershy Leans In and Secrets and Pies, mostly just because I thought they were fairly dull and didn't accomplish much of interest for the characters involved. I don't hate either episode, though.

 

A lot of episodes this season I just thought were mostly fine, and at least reasonably entertaining if not game changing.

[Foreign Candy 20]

Best:

5. Parental Glideance (Great)

4. Fame And Misfortune (Awesome)

3. A Royal Problem (Awesome)

2. Shadow Play (Awesome)

1. The Perfect Pear (Masterpiece)

 

Worst:

5. Fluttershy Leans In (Enjoyable)

4. A Flurry Of Emotions (Enjoyable)

3. Forever Filly (Meh)

2. Not Asking For Trouble (Meh)

1. Honest Apple (Dislike)

[n1029 224]

51 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Except F&M didn't show any criticism whatsoever. The RM6 experienced pure abuse, yet the moral treats it as no big deal. Abuse is a big deal, doesn't deserved to be handwaved, and must be called out as such.

Because kids are stereotyped and caricatured along with adults, and they're among those who abused the RM6. Toola and Coconut are tokens representing the show's lead demographic.

Call it what you want but this form of "abuse" is what a lot of celebrities have to deal with every day and there is only so much in their power that they can do about it. And yes, some of it most certainly comes from kids too.

Contrary to popular fandom belief the writers aren't the only people who work on an episode. The animation, directors and producers also have a say. If not Larson, I'll thank whoever was responsible for the "fatal problems" with it.

 

Edited October 29, 2017 by n1029

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,152]

As it stands right now:

Best: 

1. Shadow Play
2. Perfect Pear
3. A Health of Information
4. Parental Guidance
5. Royal Problem

Worst:

1. Hard to Say Anything
2. Secrets & Pies
3. Forever Filly

(That one vote against Perfect Pear was from me, got them mixed up. :/ )

[Dark Qiviut 22,177]

1 minute ago, n1029 said:

Call it what you want but this form of "abuse" is what a lot of celebrities have to deal with every day and there is only so much in their power that they can do about it. And yes, some of it certainly come from kids too.

Fiction — in particular Equestria — isn't real life, and realism shouldn't be the go-to scenario all the time to tell a good story. You're trying to write a 22-minute, moral-centric episode with a clear beginning, middle, and end. This show is supposed to teach kids lessons of friendship. Ponyville and Canterlot directly treated them like garbage, ranging from objectified to laughed at to stalked to freeloaded. None of this is okay, yet F&M handwaves it as no big deal. Direct abuse shouldn't be treated as just an obstacle, especially when the abusers impact their lives like Rarity's.

[SaburoDaimando 1,196]

I think it's rather obvious that everyone here loved The Perfect Pear, me included.  The expansion of the Apple Family as a whole, a lovely song by Felicia Day, and a surprisingly perfect performance by the king of ham: William Shatner(And to make some Bronicorns and Pegasister jealous, I met William Shatner in person).

 

I don't have a worst episode this season.  I thought they were all swell.  But I do have some other favorites

1) A Royal Problem: Celestia and Luna bickering at each other, Starlight makes a stupid mistake because the Cutie Map is a smirking troll, Mental breakdowns from all three parties involved, and Daybreaker of all ponies.  Cue the Fanart of Celestia's evil half.

2) Uncommon Bond: It was a cute episode between Starlight and Sunburst

3) Once Upon a Zeppelin: Because even an experienced Princess can have a breakdown when she isn't given time off.  Also, welcome back Iron Will you jerk.  XP

4) Fame and Misfortune: I'm one of those who enjoyed this episode, mainly because it felt like it reminded me a bit of the obsessed fans from Animaniacs.

5) Discordant Harmony: Because nothing rounds up a favorite episodes of this season than seeing Discord once more in the series.  We need more Discord.

 

All in all, it was a fun season, better than last year's Season 6.

[Denim&Venöm 16,589]

You've all got a lot to read, so I'll keep my picks short and to the point. Also limited to top and bottom 3. 

Bottom 3:

Secrets And Pies: While I did laugh a lot during this episode, pretty much the whole last act ruined it for me. The reason is just so dumb and convoluted, and the way they deiced to shoe horn in the moral, as well as the moral itself, were at the very least questionable. Plus we learn that MLP is not the place for gross out humor. 

Not Asking For Trouble: How do you help a stubborn friend who is putting his own people in danger? Why work behind his back and make him a non-issue, regardless whether or not he learns anything. 

Once Upon A Zeppelin:  This seemed more like the cast venting their frustrations then delivering a moral, which was essentially don't let yourself be pushed around and help yourself before you help others. Yes, Twi's family was more fleshed out, and some of the fan gags were amusing, but it wasn't fun seeing Twi in that position. Plus the read the fine print cliche has been done to death. Worse of all was Iron Will.He seemed to become a better character in putting your hoof down, yet here he came off as even worse than before. Rare that we see regression for a character. 

Dishonorable Mention: 

Fluttershy Leans In: Not a bad episode in terms of morals or characterization. It was just boring. There wasn't any real conflict. Fluttershy was right the whole time. ( I didn't learn anything.) 

Now that those are out of the way, onto the good stuff. 

 

Top 3: (besides perfect pear)

Campfire Tales: No huge morals or lessons to take away. But I did enjoy the lore and world building. And there was something involving the pace and scenery that made this feel like a rather ambient and chill episode in a sense. Plus we got Norse Horses. Norses.  

Forever Filly: A message I'm surprised the show hasn't tackled sooner. Trying to bond w/ a younger sibling or even your own child, only to learn that they've grown up, and having trouble adapting to that. It's a good story for Sweetie and Rarity, and a nice nod to the growing maturity of the crusaders. 

Marks And Recreation: An episode that tackled a surprising notion int he show. A pony not wanting a cutie mark. Not only that but it confronted a very real fear of being locked into doing one thing for life, and it's a very real fear kids and adults still face today. A novel story idea and an important lesson to learn.

Honorable Mention: 

It Isn't The Mane Thing About You: This one was almost in.  I rather enjoyed rarities chance to shine here in various lights, as well as the morale of not letting your circumstances define who you are, but letting who you are define your circumstances. Plus I loved her look. 

 

Edited October 30, 2017 by Denim&Venom

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

I have a whole ratings thing on my computer so I will just paste that here

Season 7 Episode Ratings

Top 5

Shadow Play (100/100*) E25+E26

The Perfect Pear (100/100) E13

A Royal Problem (98/100) E10

Discordant Harmony (94/100) E12

A Health of Information (93/100) E20

Bottom 5:

Triple Threat (70/100) E15

Not Asking for Trouble (70/100) E11

Forever Filly (65/100) E6

Fluttershy Leans in (65/100) E5

Honest Apple (40/100) E9

The Rest

Celestial Advice (85/100) E1

All Bottled Up (85/100) E2

A Flurry of Emotions (85/100) E3

Rock Solid Friendship (90/100) E4

Parental Gluidance (85/100) E7

Hard to Say Anything (70/100) E8

Fame and Misfortune (90/100) E14

Campfire Tales (92/100) E16

To Change a Changeling (82/100) E17

Daring Done (88/100) E18

It isn't the Mane Thing About you (75/100) E19

Marks and Recreation (80/100) E21

Once Upon a Zepellin (83/100) E22

Secrets and Pies (85/100) E23

Uncommon Bond (80/100) E24

 

Edited October 30, 2017 by Ryanmahaffe

[Shrug 9,922]

Top 5:

1. The Perfect Pear

2. Shadow Play

3. Parental Glideance

4. Uncommon Bond

5. Discordant Harmony

 

Bottom 5:

1. Fame and Misfortune 

2. Hard to Say Anything 

3. Honest Apple

4. Secrets and Pies

5. Fluttershy Leans In

 

Sorry for the predictability of this list.