S08:E14 - A Matter of Principals

[cmarston1 5,959]

So this episode.  I have heard things about it, but I didn't really know what I was going get before I saw it.  Maybe it's because I had lowered expectations, but I didn't think the episode was too bad.  I mainly enjoyed seeing Starlight and Spike work together, but there were a few jokes I liked, such as Spike referencing Princess Spike confusing Starlight, and Trixie taking the banana phone.  The episode made me like Ocellus even more, and I enjoyed seeing the student six interact with one another.  Also "Your new to the world of education" is best line of the episode.

Edited August 4, 2018 by cmarston1

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Discord was pretty much being a dick. :/

Admittedly, the episodes was fine and had some good points, but Discord...man.

[CastletonSnob 3,074]

I don't know why the Mane Six put up with Discord at this point.

Why don't they just tell him to fuck off?

[Dark Qiviut 22,396]

26 minutes ago, VG_Addict said:

I don't know why the Mane Six put up with Discord at this point.

Why don't they just tell him to fuck off?

That will only challenge him further. Discord doesn't react the same as anyone else.

[Sparklefan1234 170,579]

57 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

Admittedly, the episodes was fine and had some good points, but Discord...man.

 

I don't like when Discord is overly jerky. 

I also didn't like when the students were being chased by everything. 

[JH24 385]

36 minutes ago, VG_Addict said:

I don't know why the Mane Six put up with Discord at this point.

Why don't they just tell him to fuck off?

They have to. At least this way they can somewhat control him. His bond with Fluttershy gives them an ally in times of crisis. If they want to turn him into stone Discord will likely be prepared this time.

Although it more feels the Mane 6 (except for Fluttershy/Pinkie) mostly tolerates him. They kind of pushed befriending Discord on to Fluttershy while it should have been a team effort.

Edited August 4, 2018 by JH24

[ShootingStar159 2,156]

So ignoring all the weird drama from this episode, anyone else disturbed Twilight has an observatory where she can spy on the whole school? She really is becoming Spy-light.

[Ganondorf8 11,303]

There were times where I didn't want to continue watching this episode because of how cringe-inducing it got but I managed to coerce myself into going the entire distance. While I did appreciate the various jokes and references to older episodes, I did feel that Discord went a little too far with some of his shenanigans. I know that he's supposed to act like this because of his chaotic nature but there are some lines that should never be crossed at all. I was surprised at seeing so many characters appear at once especially some who haven't been seen for a couple of years.

[Thrond 3,263]

This kinda seems like a step back for Discord episodes, and at this point I'm starting to lose patience with him just being a jerk for the sake of it. Moreover, the jokes are surprisingly hit-and-miss, and this is easily the least funny Discord episode to date; meanwhile, the climax is just kinda stupid. Several jokes did land, but not enough. Point by point:

• Both of Starlight's focus episodes this season have had her constantly reacting to an outside nuisance, and while that's a recurring problem with the show in general, it's particularly tragic for Starlight, who barely gets a chance to show off what makes her uniquely interesting here. I mean, she's fine, and her insecurity about the role does set her apart a little, but the only point where she doesn't just seem like a more aggressive version of Twilight is when she freaks out at Discord's insult, and the episode immediately backs away from that. Her self-doubt just doesn't go anywhere, and Discord's opinion of her is never addressed again, so why did we need the scene with the laser? Discord could have just become a ghost because he wanted to. 
• Discord is still funny at times - watching him float away as a leaf was fun, and all the random stuff he put in Starlight's office was neat, if a little too random. My favourite Discord moment here was when he wore a bunch of skater gear, like Steve Buschemi in 30 Rock, and answered a banana as if it's a phone. That phone gag is leagues ahead of the ones in the movie. Too often, though, he just creates monsters or brings back things we've already seen. Oh boy, Iron Will just... being Iron Will. Oh boy, the dragonsneeze tree. Oh boy, the bugbear. None of that is very funny, so I seriously wonder if Discord was just off his game. 
• And it's frustrating to see this kind of Discord episode again after the last few dialed him back a bit. I don't like to think the mane six just keep him around because they have no other choice, and this episode's attempt to make him sympathetic falls totally flat, because while it's obvious, it's barely addressed until the last second, and giving him a position of authority makes no sense after he's proved he doesn't deserve it. I know how this kind of thing can be done better, so I don't have much patience for this.
• They seriously got Spitfire to serve as substitute teacher? I didn't think she would have that much free time. 
• The Trixie scene was my favourite here, and she was particularly fun to watch. I'd like to see how she'd actually teach a class. And I wish we saw more of Spitfire. 
• The student six's scavenger hunt stuff was cute. And Yona being inspired by Iron Will? That was pretty great. Best student! 
• To be honest, I still prefer Discord faking the Cutie Map to actually having the Cutie Map facilitate this episode.
• The uneven plot would have been easier to tolerate were the jokes more consistent, and the uneven jokes would have been easier to tolerate were the plot not so weak. As is, I always felt my patience tested while I waited for the good parts, and that's not how I want to feel about this show.

Score:
Entertainment: 5/10
Characters: 4/10
Themes: 5/10
Story: 3/10
Overall: 43/100

Edited October 14, 2018 by AlexanderThrond

[Misty Shadow 7,866]

This was easily the most villainous Discord has been since the Season 4 finale. I have to confess that he caught me by surprise. I was not expecting him to irritate Starlight to the point of essentially killing him, becoming a ghost to haunt the school, and then it being revealed at the end that he sent the Mane 6 on a fake friendship quest. Initially, I felt that Starlight went too far...but now I almost support her actions despite liking how she decided to be the better person in the end in spite of everything. Discord is detestable to the core in this one, but it's also fascinating watching how far he's willing to go out of spite for being ignored, so I can't say I was disappointed. What did admittedly disappoint me somewhat was Trixie being the only substitute teacher Starlight hired that got featured in her own scene (I would've loved to watch Maud teaching a class ). However, that scene does have my favorite joke in the episode, involving the banana phone, so I'll let it slide.

[ImpctR 155]

Back to the episodes huh.

I liked the episode a lot, a good opener of the 2nd half of Season 8, it was entertaining but I disliked Discord a bit for how he was in that episode. I like the school 6 and they are pretty cute, but poor them in this episode.

In the beginning the artifacts looked like the Pillars' artifacts then it was clear they belong to legendary heroes of each race. The place of the Cutie map was interesting until it turned out bogus.

That's when Discord started annoying, I didn't like his pranks somehow, he was being mean. Then the substitutes Iron Will and Crankly Doodle, apparently fooled by Discord to go teach, The donkey was so mean wow, never like him now even less.

Good to see Trixie again, didn't see enough of Spitfire and Maud Pie. Particularly liked again Smolder is totally my 2nd favorite if not first even over Silverstream.

Starlight used spell against someone again OH NO? Or totally accepted? I would say the latter. Discord was even too jerk for my taste here. The resolution isn't something to care about but it shows that Starlight tried to get to her teachings that is more friendship less magic.

I find the episode overall entertaining, always with Discord and the school 6, it was a fun one. It is childish to dislike an episode because some character was mean, so..  

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Started out cringy but of course it was because of Discords antics...and here we go again with Starlight living in her past...and forgetting who she is...still a good episode. 

[Thrond 3,263]

Also, is it just me, or does Cranky seem more mean here than usual? 

[JH24 385]

1 hour ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Also, is it just me, or does Cranky seem more mean here than usual? 

Cranky bothered me a lot in this episode. He was taking advantage of the students under the guise of a friendship class. It was meant to be funny, but it just felt mean instead. 

Edited August 5, 2018 by JH24

[FattPat 13]

I absolutely loved the episode. It is just so much fun. Watching Discord terrorize the school, the "teachers" he hired, coming back as a ghost, and just his general craziness was fantastic.

 

I was surprised to see that so many people are dismissing the episode because of Discord acting out of character. Honestly I wasn't thinking about it until I saw lots of people complaining. In my opinion I don't really see anything too out of character for Discord. The whole point of his character is that he's a trickster and a troll. If he wasn't going around causing mischief then I would think he was out of character. But it looks like the main problem people are having with this episode is whether or not he went too far.

Did he go too far? Well if there's one thing I've learned about Discord over the course of this show, it's that he is a moody guy. The reoccurring cause of his trolling is that he gets upset when the main six ignore him. If I was going to complain about something, it would be that Twilight and the others should really have learned about this by now. Like Discord said at the start of the episode, no one ever invited him to visit or see the school (even Fluttershy!) You'd think after the whole Tirek incident they would try to reach out to him a little from time to time. Even though Starlight was his Equestria saving buddy, she's been ignoring him too. Is it really any wonder why Discord would start lashing out?

I will admit it is annoying that this is the writers common solution for creating conflict between Discord and the others. This is a show about friendship and how to handle dealing with other people, so the simple solution would be for either the girls to be more considerate in including Discord, or for Discord to stop throwing tantrums as a way to get attention. But as Fluttershy pointed out last season, it can take time for people to get over certain flaws.

 

For now I'll just sit back and enjoy watching Discord cause mayhem.

[CastletonSnob 3,074]

What if Neighsay met Discord? Neighsay likes order, and Discord is a spirit of chaos. 

[Sonic5421 423]

While we always gotta expect some chaos and craziness out of an episode that Discord appears in, I felt that some of Discord's antics were a little cringe-inducing, especially towards the Student Six. Not to mention sending the Mane Six on a fake friendship mission just so he could take over the School of Friendship, only to run into Starlight, who had been put in charge by Twilight herself, resulting in Starlight having to put her hoof down against him, to the point where when he insulted her, she snapped and obliterated his physical body, while his ghost and chaos powers remained intact.

Once she calmed down and apologized, remembering that while she was temporary headmistress of the school, she was still the guidance counselor, she offered to make Discord assistant headmaster, which only lasted for a few seconds before the Mane Six returned and everything returned to normal, much to Discord's chagrin.

Honestly, aside from some of Discord's antics making me cringe, I'll give this episode an 8, maybe an 8.5/10.

[Thrond 3,263]

3 hours ago, VG_Addict said:

What if Neighsay met Discord? Neighsay likes order, and Discord is a spirit of chaos. 

I think they'd really annoy each other. 

[Will Guide 21,360]

@Dark Qiviut

@PathfinderCS

@AlexanderThrond

@Ganondorf8

Here's my reason to believe why Discord was being an jerk, for better or worse: The writer. 

The writer is Nicole Dubuc, who only wrote  Shadow Play - Part 1, Shadow Play - Part 2, School Daze - Part 1, School Daze - Part 2, Marks for Effort, and A Matter of Principals.

She never wrote for an episode featuring Discord so she likely had no experience and no idea about the development he went through and likely only wrote his behavior the way she thinks he supposed to behave.
Simply put: I believe Discord's OOC act is due to writer's inexperience. Doesn't that help clear things up for better or worse?

You can all hate the episode and Discord's portrayal all you want, but I'm offering an explanation as to why that is. You may agree with me or not. I'm just providing some insight.

Edited August 5, 2018 by Will Guide

[TransitPony 238]

This episode was pretty hectic and a big mess. I like Discord, but I felt a sense of cringe throughout the times he was trying to 'help' Glimmer out. I wonder how he was able to change/manipulate the Cutie Map though since Twilight said nothing was found there at the site when she and the main teachers got back. 

[JCKane 345]

Dang this episode caught me by surprise.  And by that I mean I wasn't expecting a new episode until like maybe the end of the month or so.

As for the episode, it was pretty interesting.  I liked Discord's little pranks and what not.  Got a few chuckles.  And at first I was like, "Surely Starlight's threatening Magical horn glow was just for show..." but nope, she actually DID banish his body or what not. I thought that was pretty awesome!

As for the cutie Mark quest.  Honestly, didn't think it was a fake.  Because for starters, I didn't think it could be faked.  Granted this IS Discord were talking about but the friendship map is pretty important... though have they done any friendship quests in this season?  Oh wait the Starlight Sunburst one.  And, I thought there was another one but *shrug*.

Anyways, I feel a bit bad for Discord, finally gets what he wants but then the others return.  Shame.

Though, truth be told I think Twilight didn't exactly mean anything bad with not asking Discord for the school.  I mean the others are Elements of friendship ponies and Starlight's an 'honorary member' and Twilight's pupal so it makes sense.  She may have just didn't think he'd be interested.  That or expected him to do something similar as to what he did then to undermind Starlight.

In addition to this, how often does the other Ponies (Minus Fluttershy, his OnO buddies, and the Grand Galloping Galla) actually invites Discord to things?  He just usually shows up.  

All in all not a bad episode.  And I'll admit I was thinking the next episode would be about the Mane 6's friendship quest but guess not

[Thrond 3,263]

5 hours ago, Will Guide said:

Here's my reason to believe why Discord was being an jerk, for better or worse: The writer. 

 The writer is Nicole Dubuc, who only wrote  Shadow Play - Part 1, Shadow Play - Part 2, School Daze - Part 1, School Daze - Part 2, Marks for Effort, and A Matter of Principals.

 She never wrote for an episode featuring Discord so she likely had no experience and no idea about the development he went through and likely only wrote his behavior the way she thinks he supposed to behave.
 Simply put: I believe Discord's OOC act is due to writer's inexperience. Doesn't that help clear things up for better or worse?

 You can all hate the episode and Discord's portrayal all you want, but I'm offering an explanation as to why that is. You may agree with me or not. I'm just providing some insight.

Sure, this probably is because the writer hasn't actually bothered to watch the show and doesn't know what she's doing. I don't have to like it, and that's not my only problem with this episode either. 

[Here No Longer 5,276]

This is honestly a decent episode.

 

The Bad

• I think that the premise in itself just seemed a bit, convenient. All 6 of the mane six sent on a friendship mission all the way on the other side of Equestria reeks of something. Sure, it was hard initially to figure out, but about 5 or 6 minutes in, it became obvious that Discord faked it just to cause problems at the school. 
• The end was done really poorly with a pretty nonsensical justification for Discord's behavior. People who feel rejected don't suddenly start sabotaging the everyday lives of their own friends just because. That's nonsense, and Discord's reaction to when she asks him if he wants to be vice head mare cements that.
• Discord wasn't necessarily out of character, but I think he was being a little bit excessive here. He was an a** to everyone, even by his standards.

 

The Good

• However excessive Discord was, I found the chaos he created in the school rather amusing. Most specifically the banana phone. Aside from the "long-distance plan" joke that fell a little bit flat (the joke itself was a bit worn by that point), the whole thing really worked to be honest. That's not the only example of humor done right in this episode. I was literally laughing half of the time I was watching the episode. Probably the funniest episode to date, and not for bad reasons.
• A lot of welcome references to past episodes. The Ursa Major being put in Trixie's hat, the reference to Princess Spike... I found that fantastic.
• The world-building going on with the artifacts is pretty great. It really wants to make me know more about their creation, and the role they play in their respective societies. It also makes me curious about how they will play out in the story arc of the show itself. Maybe it could be part of the season finale, or perhaps even the series finale?

 

Overall, I'd say this is about a 8/10 for me, aside from the blatant issues it has. The humor really did wonders for an episode that would have struggled to garner my interest otherwise. Without that humor I'd be more likely to rate this a 5/10 almost entirely due to the issues with the premise and the ending.

Edited August 6, 2018 by A Cynical Millenial

[Thrond 3,263]

I wonder if Starlight knows Spitfire beyond just being Rainbow Dash's boss. 

[MangoFoalix 24,956]

I honestly really enjoyed this episode. I like how discord is written in the episode and the references he makes in them. Not to mention how he tests Starlight.