An episode a day Marathon

[Lord Valtasar 12,690]

11 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

A lot of what determines FIM content to be good, bad, or average comes down to opinion.

Unabashedly being hypocritical here, I won't make such a case with Owl's Well, which is objectively bad from beginning to end as well as my most hated episode of this season. The flaws are still as apparent now as when I watched it last year. But rather than pain myself to rewatch this POS ever again, I got a stack of reasons explaining why it's so fundamentally broken (pay no heed to the outdated bottom-13 below). This episode started the horrific Spikeabuse trend that wouldn't quit until after Princess Spike. This or Boast Busters are the worst written episodes of S1, and you can easily argue that they're among the ten worst, period.

If there's one good thing to come out of it, OW is thankfully half-retconned. The later seasons, especially Father Knows Beast, write Spike's relationship with Twilight as closer, respectful, and mother/son over pony/dragon with the slavery implications.

tbh i always thought of the Twilight/Spike relationship as a big sister/little brother one, she acts like a mother sometimes, but that's what big sisters often do, his duties are even called 'chores' in this very episode, while at the same time she's taking owlicious in to make it easier for him, and yes, she's quite demanding sometimes, but spike seems not only to not mind, but to want it even, going as far as to see the owl as an antagonist, all i'm saying is that this is normal, i have little siblings and growing up, they wanted to help all the time, and who was i to deny their help? i won't pretend i don't see what you're saying, sometimes they ask too much of him, and by no means did this spikeabuse started here, it's there since his first scene, in S1 E1. but there are times that he acts pretty rotten aswel(boast busters comes to mind if we're going to talk about episodes that were out when this aired) and beside that first scene, there are plenty of scenes where they act like family. that said, i dislike this episode myself, mostly because i find the owl annoying and the "who" pun too weak to be used so many times, watching it for the second time wasn't as bad as the first, but it still remains one of the weakest episodes

[Lord Valtasar 12,690]

a party of one. pinkie is amazing in this one, and i believe this was the first time we saw her sad/ with straight hair(i could be wrong about that though).
Pinkie makes an awesome terrible-spy
Spike's interogation was pretty fun, and the fact that he just told her what she wanted to hear and didn't even process it to see what was going on and just went on eating the gems shows how clueless he can be at times, being a baby dragon puts him in a unique spot, where he's a kid, and acts like one ocationally, but has also lived almost as long as Twilight, so he can act like an adult at times, 
the scene with the turnip/flour/rock friend replacements was priceless seeing it now reminded me of Autumn Blaze, and her pouting when Rainbow Dash comes to get her was also pretty fun
a really predictable ending, but was pretty fun to watch nonetheless, i don't think it was meant as a twist in the first place 7/10

[Dabmanz 2,139]

Party of one great episode 10/10 though I am probably one of the only people that like all the episodes anyway. A hay stack or hay bale is a great disguise with that mask thing it goes great. Also is there a difference between a hay bale and a Hay stack like is one of them those swirl shaped things and the other like in a block shape? And also those poor Books why would anypony hit them?

[CypherHoof 26,483]

2 hours ago, Dabmanz said:

Party of one great episode 10/10 though I am probably one of the only people that like all the episodes anyway. A hay stack or hay bale is a great disguise with that mask thing it goes great. Also is there a difference between a hay bale and a Hay stack like is one of them those swirl shaped things and the other like in a block shape? And also those poor Books why would anypony hit them?

I am mixed on Party of One; on the one hand - it shows pinkie in her full glory, but also pulls her essential insecurity and disfunction into the harsh light of day - given how horrifyingly overpowered pinkie is, that she is so very broken is a problem (but equally, as with all the mane 6, their flaws are what makes them so relatable) and painful to watch.

[Lord Valtasar 12,690]

15 hours ago, Bas said:

How old are you, how much younger are they and are they girls?

Can't certainly confirm with my lil bro. With my big one, it was even worse, we are still pretty much...at discords.

i'm 29, but i'm talking about when i was younger, i have 4 brothers that are younger than me(all boys), so pretty much the whole age spectrum,(not all were as eager to help though)

[Dabmanz 2,139]

The best night ever was pretty good At the Gala is a great song aswell as the Pony pokie. That Prince Blueblood though what a jerk.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

12 hours ago, Dabmanz said:

The best night ever was pretty good At the Gala is a great song aswell as the Pony pokie. That Prince Blueblood though what a jerk.

I must admit it isn't one of my favourite episodes. All the selfish motives we saw from Ticket Master pretty much blew up in pony faces on this one, even if 'tia was amused by it all...

[Dabmanz 2,139]

9 minutes ago, CypherHoof said:

I must admit it isn't one of my favourite episodes. All the selfish motives we saw from Ticket Master pretty much blew up in pony faces on this one, even if 'tia was amused by it all...

Except for Applejacks Motive. In my opinion they had the best motive.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

2 minutes ago, Dabmanz said:

Except for Applejacks Motive. In my opinion they had the best motive.

Borderline. You can see how AJ would see it as a business opportunity - but turning that around, if you invited some friends of a friend to a party, and they spent their time there trying to sell stuff to other guests, I am guessing you wouldn't be that pleased.

[Dabmanz 2,139]

9 hours ago, CypherHoof said:

Borderline. You can see how AJ would see it as a business opportunity - but turning that around, if you invited some friends of a friend to a party, and they spent their time there trying to sell stuff to other guests, I am guessing you wouldn't be that pleased.

Yeah I didn't think of it like that till you mentioned that.

[Dabmanz 2,139]

Return of Harmony: Great episode showed that the mane six can overcome anything also I realized that the cmcs seem to be the ones responsible for discords return since they were arguing in front of Discords statue the disharmony between them at the time is what allowed him to escape. 

Edited November 7, 2018 by Dabmanz

[Quinch 1,120]

I've been keeping an eye on this for a bit, and I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to hop on. I had been planning to do something of the kind - just personally - a while back, watch an episode of MLP each day while exercising but slipped and stopped eventually, a bit into the second season. Exercising, that is. Now, if I get back to it, the pressure of keeping up with everyone will give me an incentive to do it consistently.

I've done things for worse reasons.

So, Return of Harmony, or as I like to call it, "Applejack Hits Puberty". Long anticipated, after the question of "will there be a season 2" has been answered and had been replaced by "without Lauren Faust, what are we looking at here?" As it turns out... a wild, insane ride that turned everything upside down, bulldozed headcanon, fanon and canon alike with rampant glee only to replace them all in days, brought an insane, scenery-chewing villain that would have been remembered until the end of the series even if they were never seen again and set the stage for eight more seasons of complete pandemonium of fan creations.

Oh, and the pilot wasn't bad either.

So, let's get started, shall we?

Kicking off with the CMCs... boy, did I not like them back then and honestly, that kept up some time past Crusaders of the Lost Mark. At that point, whenever they got together, they mostly existed to screw things up via enthusiasm in order to set up the plot for the episode and this was no different.

[insert picture of Appleblook flanked by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle captioned "You think you've got problems? My only friends are a chicken and a dictionary.]

Which also makes me wonder, if all it took to free Discord was an argument, how the hell did he not break free during the more-than-a-thousand-years period he's been around? Did he get put out in the open only recently? They know what a Draconequus is and that it represents Discord - but why put a live grenade out in the open like that? Celestia, we love you but girl... okay, I probably shouldn't quote that song in the open. -winks-

It also hit me right after the opening - the music didn't stop. We take it for granted now, if we even notice it, but in the first season, there was barely any background music at all. I'm serious - pick whatever S1 episode, and listen for background melodies. Odds are, you'll hear none.

And here's the thing - I legitimately cannot think of a more cartoony episode since. When I watched it again, I realized, there's not really a whole lot happening. There's chaos, summoning, the quest, the failure, the return, the other failure, the epiphany, the gathering and the resolution. Realistically, all of these things could have been done in ten minutes or less, let alone a two-part episode, but the pilot pads the time with extended sequences of chases, highlights of chaos and general slapstick and nonsense... and it's so fun to watch, even after I realized it, I didn't care! They spent a minute just on a scene of keep-away and it was hilarious! No plot, no point, just cartoon shenanigans.

So, ultimately, the story was anything but unpredictable - it went down a well-trodden road, but that didn't make it any less fun.

Spoiler

"Eeeww, what is this stuff? I don't kno w, so I'm gonna lick it!"  Seriously, some people give Applejack grief about being dirty, but even she doesn't put her tongue on everything.

Twilight, you're a season and a half too young to shoot a Deus Ex Machina out of your horn.

"Before my sister and I stood up to him, he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and disharmony."

Must.... not... point out... misuse... of word... eternal....

Is it possible to make this scene more suggestive? Inquiring minds want to know.

♪♫♬ Delivering macguffins and lookin' badass! That's... princess Ce-le-sti-AAAAA!! ♪♫♬♫♫

 

"You can keep the elements! I'll take that case!" Foreshadowing Rarity's fondness of mystery novels?

...yeah, me neither.

{okay, at this rate it'll take me the whole day to go through the whole episode. So.... maybe later.}

 

Oh, and in case you were wondering....

 

 

 

 

 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

3 hours ago, Dabmanz said:

Yeah I didn't think of it like that till you mentioned that.

Just as well our Benevolent Dictator For Life was amused instead of throwing AJ into a dungeon, or banishing her, or banishing her then throwing her into a dungeon in the country she is banished to

[CypherHoof 26,483]

3 hours ago, Quinch said:

Which also makes me wonder, if all it took to free Discord was an argument, how the hell did he not break free during the more-than-a-thousand-years period he's been around?

Was covered in the episode - Celestia's connection to the Elements was broken when the mane 6 took control of them; their power was holding Discord in stasis, and he was able to escape once the re-enforcement of his imprisonment was removed.

3 hours ago, Quinch said:

Did he get put out in the open only recently? They know what a Draconequus is and that it represents Discord - but why put a live grenade out in the open like that? Celestia, we love you but girl... okay, I probably shouldn't quote that song in the open. -winks-

Celestia may have neglected to tell anyone that it was the ACTUAL Discord, not a statue of him; all the ponies around at the time no doubt knew, but she could possibly have considered a note or a little plaque? :)

3 hours ago, Quinch said:

Realistically, all of these things could have been done in ten minutes or less, let alone a two-part episode, but the pilot pads the time with extended sequences of chases, highlights of chaos and general slapstick and nonsense... and it's so fun to watch, even after I realized it, I didn't care! They spent a minute just on a scene of keep-away and it was hilarious! No plot, no point, just cartoon shenanigans.

Stretching it out builds tension though; could possibly have gotten away with a single-episode version, but in addition to being fun the extra info adds depth to discord's character (and I guess if you are going to hire de lancie, you want to pad his part quite a bit ) and lets you have that cliffhanger moment between episodes.

[Quinch 1,120]

Ahh, Lesson Zero. The inception of Insane Twilight.

There's not much to be said about it, visually, at least, as well as little hints into Big Mac's softer side. One thing that I think is worth mentioning, though - Twilight's freakout about missing her deadline seems like a pretty decent portrayal of chronic anxiety. Spike's calls to stay realistic went unheeded under an avalanche of increasingly ridiculous scenarios and her friends dismissed it as something not to be worried about - both of these responses being perfectly normal and helpful when someone's in a position to think reasonably. But the thing about anxiety attacks is that they just push one's brain into full-on fight-or-flight mode and even though you might think they're freaking out over nothing, it's easy to forget that feelings can exist - and usually do - whether or not they are valid, and if your friend needs support, you give it one way or the other.

See you all tomorrow!

[Dabmanz 2,139]

8 hours ago, Quinch said:

Ahh, Lesson Zero. The inception of Insane Twilight.

There's not much to be said about it, visually, at least, as well as little hints into Big Mac's softer side. One thing that I think is worth mentioning, though - Twilight's freakout about missing her deadline seems like a pretty decent portrayal of chronic anxiety. Spike's calls to stay realistic went unheeded under an avalanche of increasingly ridiculous scenarios and her friends dismissed it as something not to be worried about - both of these responses being perfectly normal and helpful when someone's in a position to think reasonably. But the thing about anxiety attacks is that they just push one's brain into full-on fight-or-flight mode and even though you might think they're freaking out over nothing, it's easy to forget that feelings can exist - and usually do - whether or not they are valid, and if your friend needs support, you give it one way or the other.

See you all tomorrow!

 

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I agree also I felt bad for Twilight on this episode. Also I guess Big Mac did not need the want it need it spell.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

15 minutes ago, Dabmanz said:

I agree also I felt bad for Twilight on this episode. Also I guess Big Mac did not need the want it need it spell.

Agreed - an important episode, but an uncomfortable one even on rewatching....

At least Luna Eclipsed is today's

[Dabmanz 2,139]

Just now, CypherHoof said:

Agreed - an important episode, but an uncomfortable one even on rewatching....

At least Luna Eclipsed is today's

Yeah 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

13 minutes ago, Dabmanz said:

Yeah 

While it shouldn't be funny to watch Fluttershy panic... somehow it is. Sorry, Flutters....

[Quinch 1,120]

17 hours ago, CypherHoof said:

While it shouldn't be funny to watch Fluttershy panic... somehow it is. Sorry, Flutters....

I gotta agree there. Of have her flatten against a door.

Now I'm wondering, is there an occasion where each of the mane six had that happen? So far, I can think of Twilight in the pilot{?}, Rainbow Dash and now Flutterbutter.

 

[Dabmanz 2,139]

Luna Eclipsed: The first Luna episode and it is awesome Cannot really blame Luna for feeling left out. Also Luna was the only one that got what Twilights costume was sorry Pinkie She is not a Weirdo Clown.  

[Cash In 22,379]

I'll break this up into two parts:

Episodes 21-26 of Season 1 are pretty good - Owl's Well That Ends Well being just alright, in my opinion. I actually watched Party of One and The Best Night Ever, twice. I guess I really enjoyed them . Sure the latter isn't the most epic finale there is, but it's silly, which I do like a lot.

Episodes 1-4 of Season 2 are actually a ton better than I remembered. We have Discord's chaotic antics, Twilight being adorable, yet relatable and Luna seeing quite substantial development. All of them are of great quality, despite being much older.

[Dabmanz 2,139]

Are we up to sisterhooves social or is that in a few hours? I am not sure what timezone we are using.

[Cash In 22,379]

2 minutes ago, Dabmanz said:

Are we up to sisterhooves social or is that in a few hours? I am not sure what timezone we are using.

I have no idea either. My Time Zone is all over the place. 

[DivineMist1000 71,360]

I’m watching Luna Eclipsed! One of my favorite episodes!