S08:E08 - The Parent Map

[Dark Qiviut 22,617]

Note #1: This is one of the episodes leaked a few weeks ago. If you watched the episode already, keep all discussion under the spoiler tag until after it finishes officially airing. (Hit the eye icon to trigger it and type within it.) DO NOT LINK OR POST THE LEAKED MATERIAL!

Note #2: Over the last few months, some content originally leaked (e.g., the Student Six's names, episode titles, some summaries) have been officially revealed, and chances are more will, too. But as always, please keep all leaked content not officially revealed yet — and/or if you're unsure if you're revealing too much — under the "spoiler" tag.

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Title: The Parent Map

Air Date (U.S./Disc. Family): May 5 at 11:30am

Writer(s): Dave Rapp

Summary: Neither Starlight nor Sunburst have visited their parents in a long time, but when both are called by the map to their hometown, they discover their parents are at the center of the friendship problem.

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Episode to be linked after it airs.

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[Toastypk 927]

I'm REALLY looking forward to this one.

I adore Sunburst, and I'm really invested in his and Starlight's friendship or relationship or whatever you call it, I'm curious to see what happens!

Edited April 10, 2018 by Toastypk

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

deleted

Edited April 11, 2018 by Buttonmash1973

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

Spoiler

The only leaked episode I watched, I couldn’t help myself with that synopsis...

I liked this one, it had some pacing issues around the middle, but it finished strong. I admit I was expecting a more... involved homecoming, especially for Starlight, but oh well, we don’t always get what we want. Speaking of not getting what we want, this still didn’t really answer any questions about Starlight’s past, if anything it just raised more questions.

Still, very emotional episode with some heartfelt moments at the end, with a very mature lesson for the show’s maturing audience. That seems to be a trend with Starlight episodes.

 

Edited April 10, 2018 by ShootingStar159

[cmarston1 5,965]

Hopefully this episode will provide some much needed information to expand on Starlight's backstory.  Because even after 2 seasons, her whole reason for turning evil is still super underwhelming.

[Will Guide 21,376]

8 hours ago, cmarston1 said:

Hopefully this episode will provide some much needed information to expand on Starlight's backstory.  Because even after 2 seasons, her whole reason for turning evil is still super underwhelming.

Spoiler

Expect to be disappointed. I just wanted to know how exactly she got her Cutie Mark and how she responded to it.

Personally, the episode's not bad in my eyes, per se. I just wished it revealed more about what happened between losing Sunburst and meeting the Mane 6.

 

[KH7672 1,604]

1 hour ago, SwitchGuy2018 said:

  Hide contents

I just wished it revealed more about what happened between losing Sunburst and meeting the Mane 6.

 

Spoiler

I mean when has the show really gone that in depth for any character (AJ's parents, Scootaloo's disability, Sunset's old life, Spike origins....

Spoiler

Yes, I've seen the synopses but still pretty late reveal for an integral main character

...) I'd say there are still some nice puzzle pieces from Starlight's room showing her mental mindset as she grew up, to the clinginess of her father to make her feel happy and welcome again presumably alluding to a time when she didn't feel that way. It makes me wonder if they are sticking with Haber's comments of her being a "latch-key kid." I think it does but I've already seen others refute it was ignored claiming "latch-key kid" == "negligent parenting" =/= "The demeanor of her father" as an obvious conclusion which I don't agree with but I'll wait until the official airing to discuss more.

As an afterthought I want to reciprocate that desire for her cutie mark origin story as I feel it is the essential piece to completing her backstory without headcanons and such. We must have that before the show ends!

 

Edited April 10, 2018 by KH7672

[Flow 1,647]

Very much looking forward to this, I like episodes focusing on Starlight.

[YoshiAngemon 223]

For all we know, Starlight might have gotten her Cutie Mark out of spite when her negative feelings resulted in her creating a spell that lets her control others, and THEN she got her Cutie Mark, and with it, realized that NOBODY will ever leave her! I know that if it weren't for her actions in Season 5, I wouldn't even have the Beast Wars on DVD (She copied the actions carried out by Predacon Leader Megatron, as dictated by PRE-2005 Megatron of the Decepticons, who had NO IDEA of Unicron's presence and what he'd do). And thanks to her, I'm fully back into the TransFormers! Why else would I have a Build-A-Bear Starlight Glimmer and a Titans Return Doomshot & Megatron?

I owe Starlight Glimmer that much for all that she did, both good and bad. And one day, I hope that her magic will be the very thing that will LIGHT OUR DARKEST HOUR!

Until the day... Til All Are One...

Edited May 3, 2018 by YoshiAngemon

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

deleted

Edited May 9, 2018 by Buttonmash1973

[FirePuppy 739]

This episode is gonna be very important for Starlight fans because right now, she hasn't been getting as much attention as the other main characters so far this season.

[YoshiAngemon 223]

I just hope I can attend Free Comic Book Day long enough to make the return trip home to catch MLP. With not enough stuff that would interest me, I have less of a reason to stay for long. Maybe they'll have a Shadow the Hedgehog plush there.

[Photon Jet 5,502]

I'm definitely looking forward to this one. I think we're gonna see Starlight stand up to her parent after being neglected for a very long time which made her took the dark path. A neglectful family is wrong on so many levels. I wonder what will happen when and how the problem was solved when the episode airs?

[YoshiAngemon 223]

8 hours ago, Photon Jet said:

I'm definitely looking forward to this one. I think we're gonna see Starlight stand up to her parent after being neglected for a very long time which made her took the dark path. A neglectful family is wrong on so many levels. I wonder what will happen when and how the problem was solved when the episode airs?

Next thing you know, Starlight will end up going up against her EVIL self, as a test of character! Hearing Past Starlight say "I'm what you COULD'VE BEEN! YOU COULD'VE HAD POWER! YOU COULD'VE HAD AUTHORITY! YOU THREW IT OUT FOR FRIENDS?! FRIENDSHIP IS WORTHLESS, JUST LIKE YOU!" would be jarring! It's because of Past Starlight's actions that got me back into the Beast Wars, and I will NOT shut up until I see Beast Wars models in Source Filmmaker, even if I have to join the Dark Glass Project, and send the models to Daimando, for purposes pertaining to his eventual Beast Wars Recap and Shadow blasting Waspinator to scrap!

Edited May 5, 2018 by YoshiAngemon

[Batbrony 16,087]

Good morning, everypony!  Hope ya'll are having an absolutely splendid Saturday.  This certainly sounds like a fun premise for an episode, can't wait to finally learn more about Starlight and Sunburst's parents. 

[Will Guide 21,376]

Well, I saw the leaked episode with the music there and all. But I'll keep my pre-written comments for a bit after the scene plays out

[Batbrony 16,087]

Wow Sunburst, that level of unawareness is so impressively bad it's scary.  On a brighter note, his, "WHY AM I YELLING?!" line gave me a nice chuckle. 

[Will Guide 21,376]

So, in the opening…
Already I can tell this episode will be revealing more similarities between me and Sunburst. For one, we both can get wrapped up in something piquing our interest, that we don’t even noticed what’s going on around us. 

2nd thing to note: This is the first time we as the viewers have seen his "burst of sunlight" Cutie Mark under his cloak since the flashback to the day he first got it as a colt. It’s been covered up to this point for so long, I half expected something shocking like maybe his Mark changed during his time away from Starlight growing up. Oh well.

And 3rd, a new character’s been summoned by the Map. And his adorkablness he’s showing is definitely something I know all too well!
 

Edited May 5, 2018 by SwitchGuy2018

[Batbrony 16,087]

Lol, Starlight's drier sense of humor is completely on point here and I am all here for it.  She is so ridiculously fun to watch when she's exasperated about something. 

[Will Guide 21,376]

So, the good news is Sunburst and Starlight are going together on a Friendship Mission. Which by the way, my shipping side is VERY Happy to see those two together. Just like Sunburst, I was worried for a moment that Starlight sounded like she didn’t want to go with him. Which she does want to go with him. But that leads to the bad news…

They’re going back to their hometown where their parents are and they don’t sound thrilled to do so. From what the young Unicorns reminded each other, Starlight’s father still treats her like a foal, (past) and Sunburst’s mother apparently pesters Sunburst through letters about making plans (future) 

About me and Sunburst: Well, you likely would call me a negative example of a grown person since I still live with my folks, but the economy makes it very hard for me to find my own place much less afford to live on my own. My parents still love and support most of my finances, so I could focus on my part time job, extra education, and such. But I digress. The thing about me and Sunburst is that my stepmother also tends to tell me that I need to think about my future, like Sunburst’s mother. So I do understand what he’s feeling now about having to see his mother again. Although I suspect that compared to Sunburst’s mother, my stepmother’s more understanding. We’ll soon see.
 

So, Starlight’s father Firelight is the one stuck in the past by calling his daughter by embarrassing nicknames (I’ll be keeping count) and preserving the town as it was. On the other hoof, Sunburst’s mother, StellarFlare, is the one developing the town into something new as progress marches on. Well, there’s our contrast for the episode.

On a personal side note, one thing that Sunburst and I differ is that he wants to keeps his goatee beard while I wish I couldn’t grow beards, having to annoyingly shave it all the time.

From that picture of the town founders and their beyond stale bread, I think a dentist would be very very happy.

Hmm, So now, the parents are starting to warm up to each other, but the mission isn’t complete yet.
Also, on a personal note: Sunburst’s frustrated growl after “Use your words, Sunburst” is one I know all too often. As much as I care for my stepmother and I know how much she tries to help, it’s usually frustrating for me to communicate with her due to both my autism and other personal reasons. So Sunburst’s frustration adds another point to the “I’m like Sunburst” count.

Oh boy, that one second of Starlight’s room the way she left it is enough to send the fanfiction writers going. Have fun interpreting it, guys.

[ggg-2 3,557]

Jeez, Firelight's doting makes Bow and Windy look subtle.

[cmarston1 5,965]

An episode focusing on Starlight's and Sunburst's parents.  Can't say that I expected that.

But with that out of the way, I thought the episode itself was enjoyable.  Sunburst and Starlight were in good form here, and there were some funny moments such as "this is a terrible apology" and "why couldn't it send us to fight a war" and Starlight's edgy room.

However given how Starlight grew up to become a former villain focusing on control, wouldn't have made more sense for her dad to have Sunburst's mom's personality instead of how he was presented in this episode?

Or now that if I think about it, I feel like the two being Starlight's parents instead of one being her father and the other being Sunburst's father, could have been a decent way to explain how Starlight grew up to be a villain in the first place as her dad's desire to keep things the same, and Sunburst's mom's aggression and planning could have been combined to Starlight's actions in the town.

[eventyraren 180]

So now Almost all of the main 7 parents has hade an episode to them, all but one, Rarity and Sweetie Belles. where is there parents? we met them in the beginning of "sisterhooves social" and we have seen them in the background, but we don't know anything about them, other then Rarity is ashamed of them. I don't even remember if we know there names. they are the only  main 7 parents that live in Ponyville, and still they have not got a single episode.

What do you all think?

[Will Guide 21,376]

Ok, one major thing I do have in common with Starlight’s father is knowing backstory. Personally, I’d love to know about the past of a character and setting, but in this case, I’m with Starlight is that knowing ALL the backstory is likely NOT needed for the Friendship Problem. 

Sunburst to his mother: "It needs to be a REAL friendship problem. You can’t just make one up."
Me: Yeah, Lesson Zero Twilight would agree with you there, Sunburst!
 

Once again, a part of me identifies with Sunburst’s outburst (heh) with his mother. “I don’t need a plan. Well maybe I do need a plan but it will be my plan. Not yours.”

“Why couldn’t we been sent to stop a war”. It’s official. Starlight said the funniest line in the episode.

So, while we don’t get as much new information as expected about Starlight’s past that we don’t already know, we at least get an understanding why her father’s been acting like that. Still, remember that Starlight left when she was still young, foolish, and bitter about Cutie Marks due to what happened with Sunburst, so yeah it would have been nice if we had learned how she got her Cutie Mark and such, but on the other hoof, that’s not the focus of the episode. Just some food for thought.

Likewise, a clearer answer about Sunburst not succeeding as well as he could have back in Magic School was given. After his apparent drop-out at some point he moved to the Crystal Empire and been there since.
 

Overall, I say this episode was great in my opinion. 8/10

[Batbrony 16,087]

Good episode all around.  I can probably relate more to Sunburst's issues with his mom, but I kinda wanted to learn more about Starlight and her dad considering, well, her far more interesting backstory and the dark path she obviously took after leaving home.  Interesting too to wonder where their other parents are?  Based on Firelight's over-protectiveness and doting upon/infantilizing his daughter, I think there's a decent chance her mom may not have been in the picture early on, either from leaving the family or passing away.  Sunburst seems to have had a dad in his life at some point, but he was nowhere to be found now, which begs the question as to what he's up to as well.