S08:E01+02 - School Daze

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

Just now, KH7672 said:

That's the thing is with the stakes. If the stakes weren't there, Starlight never would have truely reconciled. In truth what reason did she have to actually reunite with Sunburst. Sure she would have disappointed Twilight but this was her first lesson, she was already unsure of herself and was perfectly content with Spike's reassurance of her. However, what those stakes did for her was to actually face Sunburst (similar to Sunset and Celestia in FF). She was not going to turn away and mope now because this isn't just her happiness on the line now. While I admit there were a lot of subplots, they did intersect and build off each other nicely.

1

It wasn't that they didn't connect or weren't important, it was that the way the heart was shattered and how the central threat came to be felt forced. I don't mind anything that happened in the Crystalling, it was how it happened for the weather attack. As I said, I do enjoy the Crystalling, but the impact of the stakes weren't as natural and didn't feel as impactful.

[Goat-kun 2,497]

9 hours ago, Jeric said:

She is the Rodney Dangerfield of the five Princesses.

 

You even included Flurry. How savage. Well, I'm sure they'll have Starlight figure something out while Mane 6 are busy bickering

 

P.S: high stakes also happen when grandma decides to go outside after freezing rain glazes the streets. Still ain't nobody gonna watch that shit.

[Jeric 46,834]

3 hours ago, Ryanmahaffe said:

We had many different plot lines happening, with the Starburst reunion, Shining Armors breakdown, and the baby being an Alicorn, it already felt hectic (though in a silly way, not in a bad one) and then Flurry Heart destroys the Crystal Heart, which yeah why not. But it felt like it added tension because it's a two parter and it needs stakes. The heart breaking kinda came out of left field and suddenly bam, clouds are going to destroy everything. I don't think the Crystalling would have been better or worse without those stakes, but I did feel like they were forced.

Sunburst is the only plotline that is definitionally forced, as the Crystalling celebration, Shining Armor's breakdown, and the destruction of the Crystal Heart are all directly related by cause and effect. Sunburst living in the same city was a coincidence needed to further and resolve the plot. 

That's what is meant when people say a story has a forced element. Not what you described. 

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

3 hours ago, Jeric said:

Sunburst is the only plotline that is definitionally forced, as the Crystalling celebration, Shining Armor's breakdown, and the destruction of the Crystal Heart are all directly related by cause and effect. Sunburst living in the same city was a coincidence needed to further and resolve the plot. 

That's what is meant when people say a story has a forced element. Not what you described. 

Er, good for people, I am not talking about other people, I am talking about me and how I feel, baby Flurry Heart being powerful enough to shatter what we were led to believe was an extremely powerful relic, just from crying, felt forced, it didn't feel natural within the plot at all. Sunburst was overly convenient to the plot, but it never rubbed me the wrong way the same way how the stakes were introduced did.

[BlinkZ 1,151]

Chancellor Neighsay of the Equine Educational Associatio

 

And her PRinces Title doesn't out rank him/her because? like seriously she a princess, i assumed that meant top of the ladder. Apperntly this just proves Twilight is princess in title alone.

On 2/17/2018 at 11:45 PM, Karnak said:

Welp, I guess this proves that Dragons and Griffins have quite a bit in common. 

and of course hardly any male characters becasue...hasbro thinks girls don't care for boy characters. Spike litearly the only nice male dragon.

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

3 hours ago, BlinkZ said:

Chancellor Neighsay of the Equine Educational Associatio

 

And her PRinces Title doesn't out rank him/her because? like seriously she a princess, i assumed that meant top of the ladder. Apperntly this just proves Twilight is princess in title alone.
 

and of course hardly any male characters becasue...hasbro thinks girls don't care for boy characters. Spike litearly the only nice male dragon.

It's possible that Celestia gives him and the EEA complete control of educational matters in Equestria, so in other words, he is the "princess" of the school systems in Equestria.

 

[heavens-champion 1,893]

On ‎2‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 8:43 PM, MAIKUN said:

No offense but, what is the ending like?

We don't know yet. It's not even out, yet.

[TBD 17,228]

'buck the rules"? Are they really actually going to add that part into the summary?? 

[sweetolebob18 724]

Hopefully, this will reactivate the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They've been fairly useless since they got their marks

 

[Dark Qiviut 22,172]

17 minutes ago, sweetolebob18 said:

Hopefully, this will reactivate the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They've been fairly useless since they got their marks

Considering they actively took part in two of the most mature and best episodes of the show as of late (Fault, M&R), I don't think "useless" applies to them at all.

Edited February 23, 2018 by Dark Qiviut

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

51 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Considering they actively took part in two of the most mature and best episodes of the show as of late (Fault, M&R), I don't think "useless" applies to them at all.

Yeah, those were both pretty good episodes, but I do wish we could see them branch out more now.

[RDDash 18,858]

Ep 1 Oh, look my gps updated, I guess it's time to open the school of friendship.

The school of what, darling?

The school of friendship.

Ep2 This school is un-educational, and therefore I am closing it.

What? 

You heard me 

[BlinkZ 1,151]

9 hours ago, Rebellious Rainbow said:

Ep 1 Oh, look my gps updated, I guess it's time to open the school of friendship.

The school of what, darling?

The school of friendship.

Ep2 This school is un-educational, and therefore I am closing it.

What? 

You heard me 

Yeah the second episdoe make me raise an eybrow. and who names there kid Neighsayer! like did they hate their foal for some reason.  can't hammer in the "He an Ahole" more with that name can you.

On 2/19/2018 at 4:00 PM, Ryanmahaffe said:

It's possible that Celestia gives him and the EEA complete control of educational matters in Equestria, so in other words, he is the "princess" of the school systems in Equestria.

 

EA! That explains everything!

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

Stay on topic people! This has nothing to do with the CMC disbanding or whatever!

Period.

[heavens-champion 1,893]

On ‎2‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 6:50 AM, Jeric said:

Definitely. I think the slow build of the Crystalling may be why some feel the opposite, though I would argue that at least one finale did something very similar (Canterlot Wedding) where the entire first half until the end was a simple SoL episode with just personal stakes for Twilight. 

I think the Canterlot Wedding did it better, though. Probably because Twilight thought she was wrong about Cadance after all, only for 'Cadance' to send her to the caves beneath Canterlot, making it look like Twilight was right about Cadance being evil after all.

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

Just now, heavens-champion said:

I think the Canterlot Wedding did it better, though. Probably because Twilight thought she was wrong about Cadance after all, only for 'Cadance' to send her to the caves beneath Canterlot, making it look like Twilight was right about Cadance being evil after all.

It also did better because throughout the episode it was made obvious that something was off with Cadance and that a threat was made against Canterlot, so the suspense was there., where as the Crystalling was literally SoL until the heart broke

Edited February 26, 2018 by Ryanmahaffe

[Jeric 46,834]

20 minutes ago, heavens-champion said:

I think the Canterlot Wedding did it better, though. Probably because Twilight thought she was wrong about Cadance after all, only for 'Cadance' to send her to the caves beneath Canterlot, making it look like Twilight was right about Cadance being evil after all.

 

19 minutes ago, Ryanmahaffe said:

It also did better because throughout the episode it was made obvious that something was off with Cadance and that a threat was made against Canterlot, so the suspense was there., where as the Crystalling was literally SoL until the heart broke

The telegraphed something was off in Canterlot Wedding. In Crystalling they subtly hinted that someone was going to go down. The difference is the length of the preceding body of work that gives the audience something to draw off of. Either that, or I'll take what you said as a compliment about my inductive and deductive abilities.

 

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

33 minutes ago, Jeric said:

 

The telegraphed something was off in Canterlot Wedding. In Crystalling they subtly hinted that someone was going to go down. The difference is the length of the preceding body of work that gives the audience something to draw off of. Either that, or I'll take what you said as a compliment about my inductive and deductive abilities.

 

The Crystalling: The Crystal Heart protects the empire. "Protects if from what?" "I didn't read that part"
A Canterlot Wedding: "A Threat has been made against Canterlot, we don't know who is behind it'" but I have to keep this spell up at all costs. Oh and my wife is acting extremely out of character and suspicious and she has a different magic color.

A Canterlot Wedding did a much better job at setting up intrigue for something being bad and something going down, the only reason people truly knew something would go wrong in the Crystalling was because it was a two parter and that would make sense, oh and the one line that hinted at the heart breaking.

Edited February 26, 2018 by Ryanmahaffe

[heavens-champion 1,893]

4 hours ago, Ryanmahaffe said:

The Crystalling: The Crystal Heart protects the empire. "Protects if from what?" "I didn't read that part"
A Canterlot Wedding: "A Threat has been made against Canterlot, we don't know who is behind it'" but I have to keep this spell up at all costs. Oh and my wife is acting extremely out of character and suspicious and she has a different magic color.

A Canterlot Wedding did a much better job at setting up intrigue for something being bad and something going down, the only reason people truly knew something would go wrong in the Crystalling was because it was a two parter and that would make sense, oh and the one line that hinted at the heart breaking.

Yeah. It took them forever to get to that part, and there should have been more foreshadowing. Or, at least, making the premiere more about either Starlight and Sunburst or Flurry Heart.

But we're getting off topic here. This is about the upcoming Season 8 Premiere.

Edited February 26, 2018 by heavens-champion

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

Hooray the season 8 discussion thread is up.
To round up my expected thoughts on this episode, I think it will be a solid premiere with good pacing and character moments but I am not expecting to be blown away like the Cutie Map, which in my opinion was the last truly amazing premiere.

[gingerninja666 487]

Then again, I'm weird. I far preferred Starlight's subplot in The Crystalling to the Flurry Heart stuff. Though, Flurry has grown on me during season 7.

[Sir Cyborg 26]

YESSS!

I half expected we wouldn't get any more seasons. I just came back from a long MLP break, and had almost 3 seasons to catch up to! Naturally, I watched all previous episodes first, to jog my memory a few laps. (Excluding S1, as I saw it about 5 times waiting for S2...) The time it took to find a non-shady source to sream the movie from is more than I care to admit, but now I have no ponies left. I got the impression it was Equestria Girls for the whole gem cake from now on, but......

YESSS! I can't believe I'd get this excited for this show again, but when ponies attack, mercy is in scant supply.

Edited March 1, 2018 by Sir Cyborg
Pony faces too good

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

I'm liking the designs of the students who are going to be attending this school.

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

2 minutes ago, Sir Cyborg said:

YESSS!

I half expected we wouldn't get any more seasons. I just came back from a long MLP break, and had almost 3 seasons to catch up to! Naturally, I watched all previous episodes first, to jog my memory a few laps. (Excluding S1, as I saw it about 5 times waiting for S2...) The time it took to find a non-shady source to sream the movie from is more than I care to admit, but now I have no ponies left. I got the impression it was Equestria Girls for the whole gem cake from now on, but......

YESSS! I can't believe I'd get this excited for this show again, but when ponies attack, mercy is in scant supply.

Welcome back! Season 7 was a treat and season 8 so far seems great.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

On 2/23/2018 at 12:35 PM, sweetolebob18 said:

Hopefully, this will reactivate the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They've been fairly useless since they got their marks

 

Come on, they did productive things more than anything they did  before they got their mark, blank flank business in Forever Filly and Marks and Recreation, remember? They contribute to their community more than any member of mane 6 when they were that age, its incredible.

12 hours ago, gingerninja666 said:

Then again, I'm weird. I far preferred Starlight's subplot in The Crystalling to the Flurry Heart stuff. Though, Flurry has grown on me during season 7.

If not for Starlight subplot, i will yawn my heart out during that episode. That subplot should be an episode on their own and the 'main' plot should have more contents for 44 minutes instead of shoving one plot worth of an episode.

Crystalling is like All Bottled Up, its contents are not enough to fill the screentime so it added more B-plot to fill the space, but Crystalling has better connected plots and All Bottled Up is not very long to sit through.

Anyway, i hope S8 premiere dont fall into the same trap like two previous season premiere.

14 hours ago, Ryanmahaffe said:

Cutie Map, which in my opinion was the last truly amazing premiere.

Last premiere which has actual 'adventure' vibes from it. The last two premiere feel like... sitcom, i dont know if i use the right word.

And S8 premiere will be... school teaching sitcom? Damn, i watched enough school anime already...