S08:E12 - Marks for Effort

[Music Chart Fan 819]

1 hour ago, Truffles said:

An ensemble cast with even secondary characters like Big Mac and Sugar Belle getting involved in the story.

I agree that it's nice to see those two again, and moreover, it's nice to see that this is the second time in the last three episodes that Apple Bloom has helped out and been genuinely supportive of her brother's romantic relationship. It's true that Apple Bloom has been supportive of Big Mac's and Sugar Belle's relationship since she and the other CMC found out about it in "Hard To Say Anything", but I feel like the usual trope is for siblings to make fun of or cause trouble for their other siblings' relationships, so I like how Apple Bloom just does these nice things for Big Mac and Sugar Belle without making a big deal out of it.

[JCKane 345]

I guess since it's not 2 days after it aired... I'll put my review in a spoiler.  So woo!

 

Spoiler

I enjoyed this episode as we get to see the CMC's reactions to the school of friendship.  I liked how they worked on trying to get in and didn't work because they already knew about friendship.  Thus they tried to fake being bad at friendship which failed each time

Also poor Starlight, her role as Guidence Counsulor doesn't get as much used in that school.  Honestly, didn't think they'd use her again in the episode as I figured it was more a 'one-off' joke to be 'reconciled' in another episode.  But I have to say I enjoyed the meeting she had with the young pony.  Made me laugh too!  "That's devious… I mean o.O go on." 

I enjoyed how they fixed the issue by making them official tutors to the school.  Which I think works well for them.  Though, now all the primary characters are connected to the school in some way...

 

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

5 minutes ago, JCKane said:

I guess since it's not 2 days after it aired... I'll put my review in a spoiler.  So woo!

That's for the Poniverse Discord only. The "two-day" policy doesn't apply for the MLPF.

[JCKane 345]

7 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

That's for the Poniverse Discord only. The "two-day" policy doesn't apply for the MLPF.

Oh.  Ok.

But I mean, I thought I saw a 'spoiler' policy in the first post... that was for the leaks right?

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

Just now, JCKane said:

But I mean, I thought I saw a 'spoiler' policy in the first post... that was for the leaks right? 

Yes, the spoiler policy is for leaked content. After they're officially announced/revealed, the spoiler ain't necessary anymore.

[Twilight Luna 31,360]

After Cozy failed her test and Twilight blamed the CMC for it, I was sure that Cozy was a changeling sent to drive a wedge between the CMC and the mane 6.

 

Edited June 3, 2018 by Twilight Luna

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

I can definitely see where some of the critics of Twilight's harshness came from. It was very accusatory, and from the audience's perspective, the CMCs have a good friendship with Twilight.

On the other hand, I must defend what Twilight said, too, for exactly the same reasons as Glim Glam and The Skullivan. The CMCs previously snuck into the school and performed some very poorly thought-out schemes to be officially enrolled. Then Cozy failed a very important exam after the CMCs (who aren't authorized tutors) decided to tutor her. Watching Cozy run off in an uncontrollable wail only solidifies further in Twilight's perspective that the CMCs were only looking after themselves, not her students. Not to mention that Twilight has shown to be VERY protective of her students and will act very firmly when something goes awfully wrong.

[Ganondox 899]

I loved this episode. It was both savage and endearing, with lots of interesting development on various aspects of the show's universe, and it's one of the rare episodes where I found that it was both unpredictable yet still had an entirely coherent plot. 

Cozy Glow is an interesting character. I didn't like her in the preview, but I liked in her in the actual episode, which is rare for this sort of character. There is lots of hints that she's a bit "morally challenged", but they did this without having her come across as malevolent or unlikeable. You're never quite sure what she's really thinking, I wonder what they are going to do with her in the future...

Edited June 2, 2018 by Ganondox

[DonMaguz 1,023]

Hello everyone.

This episode was amazing in so many ways and at the same time it didn't make me feel too excited or comforted. Since what I look in FiM are mainly those emotions, it doesn't make my top 3, but it surely is one of the best episodes in the entire series.

First of all... this could've been named 'Continuity - The Episode', everything from the first to the last scene has a well established background in the series.

The way each character was used fits perfectly with the plot and the development of the episode.

The CMC were at their best, trying hard from the start and showing their immaturity at the beginning and their maturity once they found someone else to help.

Every mane 6 plus Spike's moments were great, my favorites would be Pinkie saying the cupcakes are for sharing, Applejack telling Apple Bloom how her lesson started with cleaning up the mess and doing her chores and of course Spike's unawareness of his wings plus his Dead Poet Society reference.

Starlight's role was done just fine with the amazing highlight that is acknowledging Cozy Glow's devious plan with a face that screams "I approve and respect your mischieviousness".

Cozy Glow gives me the chills, especially when doing her "I'm too cute even for a filly" face, and is the perfect new character for the plot of the episode.

I think the only thing I didn't like is the underappreciation of Cheerilee, but it still makes sense for the plot.

Overall, this is my favorite episode of season 8 so far and it just falls short to become one of my top 3 FiM episodes.

Cheers.

[The Nth Doctor 662]

Given how dysfunctional ponies (and other creatures) are without Friendship, you'd think Starlight would have PLENTY of things to do...

I bet she'll wind up being Cozy's mentor at the end of the season once Cozy goes full stupid evil and tries to take over the world or something

[Thrond 3,263]

Okay, that's three episodes in a row which I've really enjoyed. Season 8 is really coming through for me so far. I mostly just found this one broadly charming, but there are specific things about the plot here that I was interested in - in some cases, more than I expected. Point by point:

• So in broad strokes, this is a story like "The Mane Attraction," where the main characters solve another character's problems. What makes this way more appealing to me than an episode like that, though, is that the CMC are set up to learn something. The earlier scenes, where they're just trying to get into the school, made me worry I'd find this annoying, but aside from being generally funny, they give context to the later scenes. While Cozy Glow most obviously learns that failing the test for the CMC's sake was a bad idea, the actual story is about how they come to recognize their own mastery of the curriculum. They come to recognize that they have more of a place in teaching than in getting into a school they don't need, and they learn this subtly rather than through obvious plot beats. 
• I'll confess that the rhythm in the early part is kinda strange, as the transitions just seem slightly slow for how short the scenes of the CMC badgering the mane six really are. Could have been slightly punchier, but the scenes themselves are very funny nonetheless. 
• And off the top of my head it's actually not clear to me how that translates to a broad moral, but I'm quite fond of this show's recent decision to emphasize character development over moralizing. I've often complained about the show's apparent restrictions, but this is a trend in this season's better episodes which genuinely feels, for maybe the first time, like those restrictions have lifted; I actually felt the same thing last week, to an extent. Though if the show goes any further in this direction, I might seriously need to revise my grading criteria. 
• And maybe I was too hasty in saying that the friendship school hadn't made enough of a change. These general themes might have been possible in an earlier season, but they would have required much more buildup, to the extent that it wouldn't really be the same story at all. I love how, for a large chunk of this episode, the only stakes are that Cozy Glow might fail a test. It's mundane to the point that it's not inherently dramatic, but it's also relatable, and the added context of the CMC wanting to experience the friendship school breathes some life into what is something genuinely fresh for this show. "Testing, Testing, 1-2-3" is the closest episode I can think of to this storyline, but this episode has a lighter touch, and besides, I like it more. 
• Cozy Glow is adorable, besides. I liked the balance between genuine interest in friendship, generally benign intentions, and poor judgment; it makes for an interesting contrast, even if most of the episode only vaguely hints that she might have greater intentions. Her design is so aggressively cute that it might have annoyed me were her personality not given that bit of nuance, but it totally works for me in this context. 
• Oh, and Starlight has fully won me over at this point. I'm loving how they balance her more Twilight-ish qualities with the rougher edges of her personality. Especially great was the appreciation she had for Cozy Glow's plan. Despite all her progress, Starlight is still a bit sketchy and insensitive, and that's absolutely hilarious to me. I just wish the show would stop presenting her empathy in contrast with the mane six, as I really want to see the characters who make me love this show in the first place be more open and sensitive. At least it's a lot easier to take when Starlight isn't switching people's cutie marks without consent.
• With that said, I actually found the implication kinda unconvincing in this episode; it suggests that Starlight's empathy is why she's needed as guidance counsellor, but it seems just as likely that anyone else Twilight trusts could have succeeded in the role, so I'm not sure what I mean when Twilight says "that's why this school needs her as their guidance counsellor." Maybe I'm overthinking it; Starlight could just be someone Twilight trusts who happens to be available. 
• Also, I couldn't help but notice that the episode never actually shows how they explain "Magic." Despite the show's title, it is kind of a nonsense element. Not a complaint, just an observation. 
• It doesn't matter that much. This is great. 

Score:
Entertainment: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Themes: 7/10
Story: 9/10
Overall: 83/100

• Oh, and I loved the way this episode uses continuity. It's not just that every character seems to have internalized the lessons learned in previous episodes, it's also the small things - specifically, Spike's wings, which he just got in the episode that aired previously, and which actually make the show feel like it's moving forward, which far too often it doesn't quite manage. This has been a fairly consistent thing since season 6, but this season is the first to really feel like it's focusing on that rather than simply building off prior changes or using continuity as an excuse for plot to happen. This might be the first season of the show where I genuinely feel as if the order of episodes matters, if only a little bit. 

Edited June 2, 2018 by AlexanderThrond

[VeroxVitrus 70]

Oh sure when I'm looking for a job I have to go find one, but in the case of the cutie mark crusaders they are pulled out of education and given a job on the spot.

If this episode has shown anything is that twilight approves child labour, bet the crusaders don't earn a buck (lol, puns) 

[DonMaguz 1,023]

1 hour ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Not to mention that Twilight has shown to be VERY protective of her students and will act very firmly when something goes awfully wrong.

Except when two of her best friends are not acting like themselves.

[Thrond 3,263]

• I kinda wish Twilight were more willing to consider the CMC's claims to innocence, but I understood her position, as the she has a school to run, and has a further context of the CMC's previous attempts to join the school. Her good relationship with the CMC may be grounds to give them the benefit of the doubt, but she has to be professional and didn't see how sincere the Crusaders were about helping Cozy Glow. Besides, it's not like they haven't hatched some questionable schemes in the past. Again, though, I just wish this show wouldn't make the mane six less sensitive to make Starlight look better. 
• The comments linked by @Dark Qiviut also give good arguments. 

13 minutes ago, VeroxVitrus said:

Oh sure when I'm looking for a job I have to go find one, but in the case of the cutie mark crusaders they are pulled out of education and given a job on the spot.

 If this episode has shown anything is that twilight approves child labour, bet the crusaders don't earn a buck (lol, puns) 

Ask too many questions about how the school works as an organization and you'll find nothing but confusion. Though this seems more like an extracurricular activity for the Crusaders, as I see no evidence they were taken out of school to be tutors. And besides, all they did with Cozy Glow kinda demonstrates that they're very capable of doing the job. There's less scrutiny to go through if the employer already knows what you can do. 

I did not expect a flippant "your mom!" response in this show, lol. 

Edited June 2, 2018 by AlexanderThrond

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

1 hour ago, Dark Qiviut said:

I can definitely see where some of the critics of Twilight's harshness came from. It was very accusatory, and from the audience's perspective, the CMCs have a good friendship with Twilight.

On the other hand, I must defend what Twilight said, too, for exactly the same reasons as Glim Glam and The Skullivan. The CMCs previously snuck into the school and performed some very poorly thought-out schemes to be officially enrolled. Then Cozy failed a very important exam after the CMCs (who aren't authorized tutors) decided to tutor her. Watching Cozy run off in an uncontrollable wail only solidifies further in Twilight's perspective that the CMCs were only looking after themselves, not her students. Not to mention that Twilight has shown to be VERY protective of her students and will act very firmly when something goes awfully wrong.

I agree. Twilight's reaction made sense to me for her character. Having had and observed a lot of teachers in my life I think her reaction also fits her role at the school very well. I think my own teachers would have reacted the same way. She has these students futures in her hoofs and has plenty of reason to believe the CMC might be at fault. 

Edited June 2, 2018 by StitchandMLPlover

[TePineer 82]

6 hours ago, YoshiAngemon said:

The only way those three will become students for the school will be to SAVE THE DAY AFTER IT GETS BURNED DOWN BY THE EEA! SO LONG, SUCKERS!

If this is a spoiler, you really should tag it.

[MAIKUN 262]

6 hours ago, cmarston1 said:

An episode about the CMC wanting to attend the School of Friendship was a concept that I found interesting and one I wanted to see how it would play out.

With that in mind I thought the episode was enjoyable.  The CMCs failed attempts to get into the school were entertaining, I am interested in seeing how Cozy Glow's appearance in this episode will relate to her appearance in the season finale, Sweetie Belle saying crying always works for Rarity was a pretty funny line, and I hope that the CMC becoming tutors for the Friendship School gets followed up on in the future.

Now that you've mention it; they might have a chance to become tutors for the Friendship School....Make sense right?

[Sonic5421 423]

4 hours ago, Steve Piranha said:

  Hide contents

I didn't see any sings that outright tells she's actually evil, save from a couple of vague instances she's rather manipulative, but seemed a truly sweet filly overall . Oh well, it's possible we'll get an explanation at the season finale. Another theory may be....

  Hide contents

The Cozy Glow in the finale is actually Chrysy, considering she'll get scotch free in the next episode to scheme another day 

 

 

True, but as far as I'm concerned, if anything involving Cozy Glow involves the Crusaders as well with future events at the school, I'm sure the Crusaders will steer Cozy Glow right.

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

I found this episode a little boring tbh, not sure why. Also I was expecting more from Cozy, she was acting really suspicious and I though there would be more to her than there was. I loved Starlight's moments though, Starlight is funny and lovable as usual.

3 hours ago, Twilight Luna said:

After Cozy failed her test and Twilight blamed the CMC for it, I was sure that Cozy was a changeling to drive a wedge between the CMC and the mane 6.

 

I thought the exact same thing.

Edited June 2, 2018 by Victoria Sponge

[Misty Shadow 7,864]

Not as good as Marks and Recreation, but still another high-quality Cutie Mark Crusaders episode that always kept me curious of what was going to happen, especially when it got up to the stuff with Cozy Glow. I am also one of the people who legit almost believed she was a Changeling, especially at the part where she failed her test. However, even when it got to the part where she confessed her plan to fail it on purpose to help the CMC to Starlight, I was still pleasantly surprised to see a clever plot twist that tied things together with Starlight's foreshadowed conflict. Twilight's characterization in the episode though, I have mixed feelings about. I still don't see what the big deal was with the CMC simply transferring schools, especially after what happened at the very end, and I agree that she jumped to conclusions with thinking that the CMC deliberately set up Cozy to fail. I guess answering "Your mom" for "Who is the Princess of Friendship?" really got to her, which admittedly got a laugh out of me.

[Luminance 2,186]

Another good episode of Season 8.

Some highlights:

•The cmc's becomes friendship tutors.

•Starlight's guidance counselor role comes into play and saves the day.

•Cozy Glow learns about friendship and help support the cmc's.

•We see get to see more of the mane 5 as there roles as teachers. 

•Winged Spike continuity.

I can see this episode, Twilight did raised some concern in regarding to who can go to her school and how she reacted towards the cmc's. A little harsh...but at least Starlight was the one with the right idea, listening and supporting her students when they needed help. The resolutions were good even when everything was shaky but it held up strong at the end. 

 

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

2 hours ago, MAIKUN said:

Now that you've mention it; they might have a chance to become tutors for the Friendship School....Make sense right?

Correction. Now the CMCs ARE tutors for the School of Friendship.

[Tacodidra 61,152]

This episode was another solid one. While I feel season 8 has had a few better episodes than this one, it was another very enjoyable episode.

This somehow felt like a combination of the old and new CMC episodes to me. The various gags about them trying to get into the school were a little reminiscent of their attempts at earning cutie marks, while them helping another foal with a problem has been a recurring theme in their later appearances (though this episode featured an entirely new setting for them). Cozy Glow was cute, and I liked how she also tried to do her best to help the CMCs, even though she didn't use the best means. I thought Twilight was a little fast to accuse them of making Cozy fail on purpose – it's been long since I remember them doing something like that out of spite.

A lot of nice little things in this episode. First of all, we saw Bon Bon speaking and being referred to by that name, both in the episode itself and the credits! The comeback of Scootaloo as Shimmering Spectacles was also great, as that was my favorite part of "Hard to Say Anything". Starlight was amazing in this episode, her meeting with Cozy Glow was the funniest scene of the episode for me. And I just have to mention Rarity's new nickname for Sweetie Belle: Repeatie Belle.  And I'm not sure why, but I think this episode was yet another one that had some rather emotional moments – namely the ending with the CMCs becoming tutors.

All in all, this episode was representative of the high quality FIM has kept after all these seasons. There were a few earlier episodes this season that had more standout moments than this one, but this had its fair share too, along with avoiding the problems of some episodes in the series. It gets a rating of 8.5/10.

Edited June 3, 2018 by Tacodidra

[Truffles 2,033]

6 hours ago, Music Chart Fan said:

It's true that Apple Bloom has been supportive of Big Mac's and Sugar Belle's relationship since she and the other CMC found out about it in "Hard To Say Anything", but I feel like the usual trope is for siblings to make fun of or cause trouble for their other siblings' relationships, so I like how Apple Bloom just does these nice things for Big Mac and Sugar Belle without making a big deal out of it.

If Apple Bloom were around 6 or 7 years old, that might have been an age where it would have been practically expected of her to do something like that. Since she's already gotten her cutie mark and shows a lot of maturity (she was the referee in "Surf and/or Turf" during the CMC's arguing) it makes sense she'd act that way about her big brother's relationship with Sugar Belle.

I guess some of that is owed to the CMCs also being hopeless romantics, as we first saw way back in the first Hearts & Hooves day ep. Though it's probably not considered very mature to try to hook up your brother with your teacher by concocting a love potion/poison. XD

Thinking about her maturing reminded me of the scene in this episode where she's pretending to be lazy so she can get into Twilight's school. That refusal to get up and do anything brought me back to Spike again wanting to sleep in during last week's episode and I couldn't help but say to myself, "Looks like dragon puberty is contagious!" XD

[Rising Dusk 27,664]

Another great episode.  Season 8 is shaping up extremely well with only one real bump so far.  A good CMC episode to pin on the board, even if I wasn't the biggest fan of how Twilight reacted to the test failure.  I understand she's in charge of a school now, but she's known the CMCs for a very long time, and jumping to conclusions about them being spiteful seems a little out of character to me.  I've had my fair share of teachers that knew me a lot less than how long Twilight has known the CMC, go to bat for me when mix ups like this have happened.  And she didn't even apologize?  Sure, they tried sneaking into the school, but it was in traditionally adorable CMC fashion.

For me though, Starlight stole this episode with her short scenes.  In similar fashion to when she was a friendship student of Twilight's and getting left behind a lot, she's still playing second fiddle with little role in the new school.  How her bordem has led to cleaning and organizing her office over and over.  But, when she finally got a student to council, her near overzealous interest in getting to do something was so adorable.  Throwing a comfort pillow, security blanket and empathy coco without even knowing the problem yet.  Having to rein herself back in over and over to make sure she was 'listening'.  Best of all though, her slip of interest in the devious plan of Cozy and the face that came from having to rein herself in again.  Priceless.   

While the CMCs attain a new role as Friendship Tutors, we also get to see Starlight get recognized for her importance as school councilor 

Edited June 3, 2018 by Rising Dusk