An episode a day Marathon

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

Ah yes, A Canterlot Wedding. Whilst far from a structurally perfect episode (particularly in regards to the way that the first part treats Twilight's suspicions), the general overtone of the episode has such a grandiosity and joyous energy that the experience genuinely feels akin to a celebration of the Faust/Renzetti era as a whole (particularly the ending, which is one of the final scenes of the series to carry that specific purity and observational character-based humour that Faust brought to the creative table). And now we enter season 3 (and some of the earliest episodes I can definitely remember initially airing), which is going to be one... unique experience (particularly considering the huge shifts in status quo that occur throughout the brief spurt of 13 episodes, many of which (the Crystal Empire, Trixie's reformation, Dash and Scootaloo's relationship, Dash becoming involved with the Wonderbolts, Discord's transition into recurring neutral cast member and, of course, the infamous Twilicorn) define the show's current state six years running). 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

42 minutes ago, Them's Seeing Ponies said:

Ah yes, A Canterlot Wedding. Whilst far from a structurally perfect episode (particularly in regards to the way that the first part treats Twilight's suspicions), the general overtone of the episode has such a grandiosity and joyous energy that the experience genuinely feels akin to a celebration of the Faust/Renzetti era as a whole (particularly the ending, which is one of the final scenes of the series to carry that specific purity and observational character-based humour that Faust brought to the creative table). And now we enter season 3 (and some of the earliest episodes I can definitely remember initially airing), which is going to be one... unique experience (particularly considering the huge shifts in status quo that occur throughout the brief spurt of 13 episodes, many of which (the Crystal Empire, Trixie's reformation, Dash and Scootaloo's relationship, Dash becoming involved with the Wonderbolts, Discord's transition into recurring neutral cast member and, of course, the infamous Twilicorn) define the show's current state six years running). 

I was more unpleased by the way they threw in two new major characters - one the brother and closest friend of Twi, who oddly she had gone TWO WHOLE SEASONS without ever mentioning, and the other a third princess, adoptive filly of Celestia, who also was mysteriously never mentioned by anyone, and who apparently would filly-sit as a teen random other young foals in Canterlot.  That her cutie mark is the crystal heart is also odd given the crystal empire has been gone a thousand years by this point, but given its entirely possible Celestia didn't even know it existed, it is less surprising she didn't recognise it.

Also surprising - that Twi was so close to her brother, but didn't even know he was dating Cadence, or Cadance's full name.

So yeah. the intiial setup was patched in incredibly badly. Add to that the fact that the rest of the Mane 6 (and her brother) were unable to accept Twi's hunch about something being off with Cadance, and you have to wonder if Twi had been picked up and dropped into an alternate reality.

I am reminded of Silver Quill's comment though - if it's a musical episode, duck and cover, because it's GOIN' DOWN.....

the second episode is a bit better. Twi finds the real Cadance, and in another extended musical number, accepts that Cadance's feelings for her brother are genuine, so pulls out the stops to get her back to his side.  The comedic fight sequence was pleasingly comedic ("do me do me!" and multiple instances of the Mane 6 demonstrating not even changelings can tell if a changeling is real or not) and the final spell satisfyingly powerful (although in keeping with it being Pony, surprisingly selective in not hurting anypony, not even the changelings).  All wrapped up with another song (cut short, although there is an extended version on the album) and a montage.

Overall, a good second half, but one that didn't really make up for how badly nerfed the first half was in order to make the plot work.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

15 hours ago, Bas said:

Germany.

I don't get why seemingly quite a bunch of ppl hate DQ. I think it is a great ep with MEAN DRAGONS.

Nor do I. Spike is often nerfed in order to make easy plot points, which is a shame - he is remarkably mature for his age, and this episode shows quite well how much better a person he is than most other dragons (lets not even mention his fake father, though) - Ember being a noticable exception of course, and her father surprisingly another.

Pity Spike didn't hang onto HIS pet, given celestia has one already

Edited November 28, 2018 by CypherHoof

[DonMaguz 1,023]

I have missed the last week or two, so I'll just catch up with the most recent eps.

Putting Your Hoof Down: In this episode I didn't like Fluttershy until she started to go nuts, first with the ponies at the bridge and then scaling up until she drop the bomb on Pinkie and Rarity, back on my first watching I found it funny, later I saw how awful she really was to her them. Iron Will's introduction was amazing, he's the kind of character I love to watch causing conflict. 

It's About Time: Monitor EVERYTHING! Hahahhaa, I absolutely love Twilight on this one. Pinkie and Spike are also great support to her.

Dragon Quest: Great episode for Spike both to explore a bit of the dragon society and to reinforce his personality as a good hearted dragon-boy. I found the dragon interactions to be cringey in a macho way, but the tail wrestling and Spike's belly dive got me a laugh.

Hurricane Fluttershy: A lovely episode in which one can see how much does Rainbow Dash cares about Fluttershy. Fluttershy's anxiety comes out as a clinical problem under the nightmare fueled scene of the eyes. I liked Twilight's and Spike's supporting role in this one.

Ponyville Confidential: One of my favorite CMC episodes, Diamond Tiara was at her best and the CMC were perfect. Their struggle about spreading gossip while getting positive feedback from said gossip is very difficult to manage at their age. As viewers, some of the gossips were pure gold, such as Celestia and cake, Pinkie being a party animal, the Mayor Mare's mane color and Fluttershy using mane extensions.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Sooo - Today's viewing will be Hurricane Fluttershy AND The Crystal Empire... and then I am caught up again.

So, Fluttershy, and Pinkie in her Fluttershy suit

Edited November 29, 2018 by CypherHoof

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Wait, if PInkie was an orange, would she have to change her name?

[CypherHoof 26,483]

So, few days to catch up on it seems.

Saturday, we have a Bad Apple in the barrel - although again, we get to see Diamond Tiara making us wonder why ponies are so accepting of her reformation.

Sunday? Magical Duel, with many great fluttershy moments (from her threatening Twi, to her attempts to run away in her "dangerous mission" suit.)

 

Blushing Twi is also cute (although she wasn't doing her pinkie pie voice at the time) and its interesting to see SHE can break the fourth wall too...

  

So yeah, had forgotten how fun this episode was.

Which brings us to today and Sleepless in Ponyville - the first of the Luna/CMC episodes, and a classic, with Dashie agreeing to be a mentor, Luna's intervention, and Dashie defending Scoots in her dreams (with a little help from Luna :D)

S3 may not be the greatest season overall, but there were some truely great episodes, at least

 

Edited December 3, 2018 by CypherHoof

[CypherHoof 26,483]

So, a little more catch up

Friday was Fluttershy vs Discord, with poor Flutters off to a shaky start, given Discord's apparent immunity to The Stare...

But of course nopony can remain immune to her overwhelming cuteness forever, and for Discord, it is impressive he almost made it to the end of the episode...

But let that be a lesson to any other unreformed villains... RUN! RUN while you still CAN! It's too late for us, and as for Discord, he is lost without a hope, there is no saving him now...

 

So, skipping the unimpressive Spike/Crystal empire episodes, we get to Monday's season finale (a short season, it must be said) and... Mostly I don't like it. I mean, I get it - they had padded out the episode count to match the requirement for syndication, they wanted to wrap up by giving Twi her Wings, but... no. There should have been focus episodes where Twi had to show each of the leadership qualities Celestia lists, and they just didn't happen. Faced with a crisis where she has to step up and take charge (like in Swarm of the Century, or Return of Harmony) she tends to freak out and look to Celestia for answers - so the whole "element mix up" could have as easily been a test the Tree set her (which in context, would make more sense really)

But outside of that context, the mixup was well done, there was a song (cue silver quill and "duck and cover, 'cos it's GOIN' DOWN") and of course Twi's ascension and coronation would have been a great wrap-up to the series - had it actually ended there.

So, today's is of course S4, so time to watch a premiere

[Cash In 22,348]

I assume I'm behind, so I'll need to catch up soon. Since my last update I've seen Season 2 Episode 14 to Season 3 Episode 4 (Read it and Weep to One Bad Apple). I will say this, I seriously underestimated Season 2. I enjoyed it a lot more than I remember, so hats off to that. I feel that there's the perfect blend of serious, silly and singing. It's About Time is one of my favourite episodes, because it's just really wacky, yet entertaining to rewatch. Read it and Weep was also fun to watch and is now probably my favourite RD episode. The last time I watched it was in the middle of class, so I can kind of understand why I enjoyed it more this particular time. 

Season 3 started off much better than I remember. The Crystal Empire is probably my favourite Season premiere so far. It felt structurally sound - the character development of Cadence and Shining Armor's end helped as well. The other two episodes were good as well, though Too Many Pinkie Pies is still the second most stupid episode of the show, as entertaining as it is. 

And now to watch more episodes.. 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

9 hours ago, Cash In said:

Season 3 started off much better than I remember. The Crystal Empire is probably my favourite Season premiere so far. It felt structurally sound - the character development of Cadence and Shining Armor's end helped as well.

I did like the episode - it made Cadence less of a "pretty princess" placeholder, showed her and Shiny as a team (and also demonstrated Cadance had found her Destiny as the Crystal Princess, with her cutie mark glowing as she returns the Heart), showed Twi and SPIKE as a team (one of the few times Spike wasn't nerfed for cheap laughs in the early seasons) and created a whole new line of toy...erm, I mean showed the Crystal power of the ponies, not to mention the lore of the crystal empire, pinkie in a Fluttershy Suit, and so much more... a great season opener, and a good followup to the closing finale of S2.

There was also an INCREDIBLE amount of symbolism and foreshadowing spread there, with Spike saving Twi from her worst fear (and Twi saving spike from his, in turn), Twi using Alicorn Magic for the first time, and Cadence restoring the Heart of the empire....  you have to wonder why they packed so much into this one episode if they expected the season to end forever eleven episodes later....

Celestia and Luna's cryptic exchanges also make more sense when Twi finally reaches her alicorn ascension - plus of course the book Luna summons at the end looks suspiciously similar to Starswirl's journal at the end of S7.

 

Quote

The other two episodes were good as well, though Too Many Pinkie Pies is still the second most stupid episode of the show, as entertaining as it is. 

And now to watch more episodes.. 

The pinkie episode is silly, fourth-wall-breaking fun, just as a good pinkie episode should be

 

Edited December 13, 2018 by CypherHoof

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Ok, so another catch up post

Tuesday was the S4 premiere, so a double episode (shweeeeet! )

Will just note that Discord WAS lying, but its not like they can do much about it now.... but the Chest, triggering as it did the only season-spanning arc we really have had in Pony, was a great hook for that arc.

Wednesday brought Castle-mania and slapstick worthy of a Pinkie episode (although she DID feature quite a bit, despite not being the episode's focus pony) - with a secret library full of priceless historical artifacts </EqG> and of course the Pony of Shadows, source of SOOO much fan speculation for the next few seasons.

Daring Don't, by contrast, isn't an episode I particularly enjoy; I mean, I don't think making a greyscale recolour of an existing pon...<looks at self; coughs> erm, yeeeup. So yeah; I like the idea of the writer having a double life as her own creation, the "red line" gag with pinkie is a classic, and of course continuing Dashie's obscession from S2's "read it and weep" is great continuity, but I found Dashie's over the top fangirling wearing after about 30s of it, didn't really feel sympathetic to the yearing/daring do character, and I feel Quibblepants has a point about the books after the first three

[CypherHoof 26,483]

3 hours ago, Bas said:

Yeah, I really like castle-mane-ia because it is so hyper random, yet still fitting in the end, kinda like The Mean 6.

Daring Don't shows that people/ponies can like the same things but different aspects on them. It shows us to look for similarities, not for differences.

Not sure I get that from Daring Don't - I can see it from Stranger than Fanfiction of course, but DD seems more like a rehash of S1 Applebuck Season's "accept help when offered" but with Daring Do rather than AJ.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

So, another block post (not entirely my fault, I have been away for the weekend )

Friday: Flight to the Finish
  I do love the CMC - especially when Scoots is being inspired by her heroine, Dashie.  Do wish Dashie was more deserving of such adoration . Good song (what did Silver quill say about musical episodes again?) and Tiara/Spoon being their usual asshole selves.
  I wish they could find a way for Scoots to fly though - perhaps an assist like Tank has?

Saturday: Power Ponies!
  "humdrum" is a rather over-obvious metaphor for how badly the writers Nerf Spike for their cheap laughs...  Pinkie makes a good fillysecond though, given she can outpace Dashie without visible effort.

Sunday: Bats!
  The episode that gave us Flutterbat, and SOOO many fan theories.  After Twi's attempt to use magic to fix the parasprite problem, you would have thought she would be more hesitant (GlimGlam doesn't do to well with that idea either, I note)

-and finally-

Monday: Rarity Takes Manehatten.
  So yeah, Rarity being even more Rarity than usual. But at least she gets the first Key...

 

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

11 episodes into season 4 (just finished "Three's a Crowd") and I must admit that a surprising number of episodes were disappointing on rewatch. Having not viewed many of S4's episodes since their original airdates, my thoughts can be summarized as follows:

Princess Twilight Sparkle: Generally good as an address to the rushed nature of MMC (an episode which increasingly sours in hindsight), albeit with a few awkward scenes (the Nightmare Moon scene was impressive but ultimately filler-esque and dissented with established backstory on NMM) and the first major instance of flanderized Pinkie (the coloring book gag). That being said, both the animation (note the more ambitious cinemateography/storyboarding and lighting techniques, both of which provide this season with a unique visual element from its predecessors) and Discord genuinely absolve the flaws of this one. 

Castle Mane-ia: A relatively fun romp (with some great dialogue, save for Rarity referring to the castle as a living entity for some reason), albeit one which wore out its welcome when stretched to fill a 22-minute runtime, not to mention the nefarious scene of Pinkie ringing the school bell (she isn't that bad here otherwise, but this is around the period of the show when the writing team began to slip regarding Pinkie's character outside of specific focus episodes).

Daring Don't: A mild letdown (although "Daring Done?" remains worse by a country mile) considering the ambitious nature of the premise - as Cypher noted above, the episode plays out in a surprisingly conservative manner following A.K's unmasking, which leads to the impression that the creative team presumably considered an episode revealing Daring Do to be real but didn't exactly have that much of a story to tell about it. That being said (and this being a Polsky episode), a fair number of the gags definitely hit their mark (the birds in the cold opening and Pinkie painting the red line in particular stand out), although the episode just falls short of evoking enough of a pulpy atmosphere to dissuade the viewer from the dryness of much of the second act. 

Flight to the Finish: Touching and well-written but suffers heavily from pacing issues (as much as "Hearts Strong as Horses" was a good song, it feels somewhat shoehorned, as if the creative team wanted a song in the episode merely because it worked in past installments, although at least it thematically links mildly to the second and third acts) and awkward humour (the Dash/Harshwhinny reaction gag is particularly odd, as if they desired to comedically contrast the two but went too over-the-top (against the CMC's act, which is never depicted as spectacular enough to warrant such a reaction from either) in the process). 

Power Ponies: An incredibly awkward episode caught between its own ambitions - while I appreciate what it attempts, the creative decisions made (particularly the mane six being nerfed, which undercuts the theme entirely, although the cast being flanderized mildly here is also an issue) ultimately undermine the episode's credibility and trap it in an awkward middle ground between being intelligent enough to absolve the inherent bizarreness of its premise and being absurd enough to mine humour from the narrative. 

Bats!: As much as I'm going to disappoint here, I felt as if the Flutterbat development ultimately served as a distraction from the moral - Applejack's side of the argument is built up as concerning valid and major consequences and yet her side's credence is neglected for much of the remainder of the episode, whilst Fluttershy is pretty much brainwashed thanks to a spell-based accident which was not ultimately affiliated with AJ (but with Twilight), which causes the episode to lose focus in its third act. "Stop the Bats" is a great song though, and the direction and references are at least entertaining, which absolve some of the episode's clumsiness to me. 

Rarity Takes Manehattan: One of the best of S4 thus far (and a refreshing dose of everyone's favorite white unicorn over a month after completing her previous focus episode). The extent of Rarity's generosity was kind of ham-handed (as awesome as "Generosity" is musically), but serves a vital purpose to the plot and creates a fascinating contrast between Rarity and Manehattan - the show has established that one of Rarity's longtime aspirations is to expand her career to one of Equestria's metropolises, yet the reality of her dream seemingly contrasts with her values, which the episode wisely places focus onto. 

Pinkie Apple Pie: A decent outing, although Pinkie, while well-intentioned and understandably motivated, was a little too over-the-top for my tastes here. She almost seems to be losing her... humanity (what tall fleshy two-legged thing?) in favour of becoming more hyperactive and joke-driven as opposed to the quirky and fun-loving optimist of S1 and 2, although the presence of the Apple family (some of the dialogue between them is a riot) serve to counterbalance well here. 

Rainbow Falls: I concur with pretty much every criticism towards the episode, although I feel its most grievous error to be the dialogue, which is incredibly laborious and wooden to the extent of generating a general aura of emptiness around the cast. FiM is seldom this vacuous.

Three's a Crowd: Similar pacing issues to "Flight", but a great outing interspersed with a healthy dose of Discord awesomeness ("Glass of Water" is possibly one of the show's most hilarious sequences), despite the resultant by-product of Cadance being sidelined in her final major solo outing (I believe?). 

Looking back on this, I definitely come off as pretty cynical, don't I? Don't get me wrong, each of S4's episodes thus far (even "Rainbow Falls") have something to offer to an extent and many feature some amazing and surprisingly ambitious elements for the show (many of the musical sequences in particular have a heightened level of grandiosity compared to S1-3, although the effectivity of this varies) - however, it tends to be the execution and focus (not to mention Pinkie's encroaching flanderization) that let down some of these episodes. With "Pinkie Pride" next, I hope to be enlightened once again.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Them's Seeing Ponies

[Cash In 22,348]

On 12/14/2018 at 6:22 AM, CypherHoof said:

Celestia and Luna's cryptic exchanges also make more sense when Twi finally reaches her alicorn ascension

Yeah, I caught those as well. It was clear that Celestia was preparing for it, for a while

On 12/14/2018 at 6:22 AM, CypherHoof said:

The pinkie episode is silly, fourth-wall-breaking fun, just as a good pinkie episode should be 

The less sense it makes, the better it is.

Well, I've wrapped up Season 3. I've seen S3 Episode 5 - 13 and I can say that I legitimately enjoyed the entire season - Yes, even Spike at Your Service (Not my favourite, but still enjoyable). I thought that Magical Mystery Cure was a fantastic season finale. It was certainly the most musical episode we've had, but I felt that it showed a great amount of growth from Twilight. Going from an isolated unicorn to a friendship connoisseur, she's really gone a long way, hasn't she? While I still think that the Alicorn transformation could've been better served for the grand finale of the show, there's no denying that this transformation is a great representation of Twilight's growth and has opened up many plot opportunities. I still have the songs stuck in my head. Magic Duel is also an episode which I really enjoyed. This is on account for both Trixie's reappearance and Twilight's various abilities being tested, including her wit. Apple Family Reunion is also a favourite - because it's always interesting to see the Apples get up to some shenanigans. Season 3 is honestly a fine season to me, even if it's a little bit on the short size.

To Season 4!

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Sooo late the posting... going to do three per day until I catch up 😁

Tuesday 18th - Pinkie Apple Pie
Just remembering the pony in Fame and Misfortune screaming about this.
And ok, I get "crazy cat lady" but a tiger???? that's Fluttershy level cat hoarding 😁

Wednesday - Rainbow Falls
Well, ok. Nope, not going there 😁

Thursday - Three's a crowd.
My initial impressions of Cadance were not good - but she gradually became more a rounded individual rather than a cardboard-cutout "pretty princess" over the seasons, and this episode is where she really starts to stand out as a unique character.  I love the Crystal Empire Express, and Cadance carrying her half of the fight with whatever that plant snake thingy is was great too. Where is Fluttershy when there is a draconequus that needs Staring at though?

Friday - Pinkie Pride
Looks like this is a DOOZY! 😆
Seriously though, I do love a good zany Pinkie Pie adventure, and rainbow coloured paint? only pinkie....
It is sad to see a depressed Pinkie, but of course it is important for her personal development, and gives us the third key.
Do wish we had another Cheese Sandwich episode though.

[Cash In 22,348]

I have long declared Season 4 as my least favourite season of FiM. After watching Episode 1 (Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1) to Episode 10 (Rainbow Falls), I can happily say that I am enjoying it a ton more than what I remember. Is it still my least favourite season? Well, I can't say until I watch all the other seasons, so it's up in the air. Princess Twilight Sparkle is definitely my favourite season premiere, next to The Crystal Empire. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt that it had the perfect balance of everything and did a solid job setting the stage for the rest of the season - Twilight's work as a princess, the keys to the chest of harmony. There's nothing noteworthy to say about episodes 2 - 10, other that they're all very enjoyable episodes. Rainbow Falls and Rarity Takes Manehattan are some of my personal favourites

Edited September 19, 2019 by Cash In

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Pleased to see this still active, but it seemed to dwindle away to nothing over the holiday period.

Maybe we should consider a restart?

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

I'm still actively watching. Today's episode is "Bloom and Gloom", if I recall correctly. 

In regards to a restart, I'm unsure if it's absolutely necessary (particularly considering that we're honing in on "Amending Fences" and "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" at this point) but the thread does seem to have become a desolate wasteland over the past month, so I can at least understand your point here. 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

15 hours ago, Them's Seeing Ponies said:

I'm still actively watching. Today's episode is "Bloom and Gloom", if I recall correctly. 

In regards to a restart, I'm unsure if it's absolutely necessary (particularly considering that we're honing in on "Amending Fences" and "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" at this point) but the thread does seem to have become a desolate wasteland over the past month, so I can at least understand your point here. 

I do quite like Boom and Gloom - not only do we get a CMC episode (although as is often pointed out, their pursuit of their cutie marks was actually standing in the way of their finding them) but we get Luna being a supportive mentor to all three little ponies at once

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Oh, and while I am not a great fan of moondancer (although at least she didn't steal the cutie marks from an entire village, just locked herself away from everypony) I do appreciate Tiara's redemption and of course am looking forward to Rara's only episode...

[CypherHoof 26,483]

So, if Bloom was yesterday, today must be Tanks for the memories - a massively controvertial episode, it seems

I do like the episode, even if it requires some tough love from Fluttershy; not so fond of the song though.

 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

So today should be Appleoosas Most Wanted - one of the better CMC episodes, until lost mark of course

It is sad to see AJ still doesn't value Applebloom's opinion or consider her able to make her own decisions, even after the events of last season's Somepony To Watch Over Me...  But at least she realises the true calling of the CMC even if they don't.. yet.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

Soooo, I do believe it is time for Make New Friends But Keep Discord and... not his best episode, really.  Fluttershy was of course wonderful, but Discord's jealousy and juvenile actions, while understandable in context, was almost as painful to watch as ELTSD. Also don't approve of his eating the teacups....

CMC looked cute trying their dresses, and I am pleased to see Rarity kept things nice and simple for them; the Smooze is amusing, and I suspect Pinkie already knows them well

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

Considering that this thread has been barren for a month now, I figured that it deserves a revival, considering that the marathon is now approximately 2/3 finished. 

As for my thoughts on S5... *sucks in huge breath of air*...

The Cutie Map: A solid and compelling premiere with a uniquely grim atmosphere (and villain) and some great dialogue (particularly courtesy of M.A Larson's amazing lines for Pinkie, a pleasant surprise following her near-consistently awful portrayal in S4). Fluttershy's major role was also a welcome addition after multiple consecutive two-parters laser-focusing onto Twilight.

Castle Sweet Castle: Largely forgettable and bland (most notably in regards to the plot, which is a little too negligible and thin for my tastes) despite a decently genuine ending and some impressive directorial techniques. 

Bloom and Gloom: Uniquely introspective into Apple Bloom's character in a way the show has seldom endeavoured towards before or since. Outranked by "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls", but definitely one of S5's more conceptually solid episodes. 

Tanks for the Memories: Still deeply flawed - my main issue this time stems more from how brazen and unquestioning Dash is about her ploy despite being a leading weatherpony. I understand that the show can't exactly incorporate Tank dying into the plot, being a kids' TV show, but having him simply hibernating renders Dash's behaviour here extremely disproportionate considering that it's clearly written to parallel grief (in addition to robbing the episode of much of the tension it seems to believe it has). Fortunately, the excellent comedy in several scenes (Applejack's confirmation that she 'cries on the inside' and the Cloudy Skies exchange, both obviously Larson's touches) and the Dash/Fluttershy interactions in the third act lightens the problematic main plot minorly.

Apploosa's Most Wanted: Generally weak and unimpressive, albeit once again salvaged by the comedy (the 'mob' exchange). The earlier half of S5 is fascinating in this regard - M.A Larson's personal writing style is easily the most distinct of the show's story editors thus far to the extent where it's typically easy to abduct which parts of these episodes were specifically penned by him. It's just the plots that tend to feel more haphazardous than the McCarthy episodes. 

Make New Friends but Keep Discord: The quintessential Larson-edited episode - a heaping ton of hilariously energetic fanservice loaded around a relatively limp plot, almost to the point of resembling a series of gags over a cohesive narrative. Fortunately, much of Larson's writing is enough to absolve this (particularly Pinkie's characterization, which has improved by leaps and bounds here from the more hyperactive Pinkie of S4) and the moral is a solid one.

The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone: Structurally uneven (particularly in regards to the blandness and inconsistency surrounding the worldbuilding) and Gilda's characterization is virtually alien from her previous appearance (despite possibly being an improvement), but the fanservice and comedy here is genuinely difficult for me to entirely resist - the Junior Speedsters reprise, the return of Pinkie in her S1-2 persona (I don't know if I cried a tear of joy at her quirky wordplay describing Gilda)… it's obvious stuff, but not to the extent where I can't appreciate it. 

Slice of Life: A gigantic, bombastic pile of successful absurdity, most notably in its unique high energy and ability to back up the reams of fanservice with less context-specific gags. Definitely one of S5's more successful experiments.

Princess Spike: Well-played direction (S5's direction and animation are definitely among its most consistently admirable attributes) squandered on a dry and repetitive story which leans on narrative contrivance and never builds to any successful punchline.

Party Pooped: I'm nowhere near a fan of Nick Confalone's huge emotional takes (which he seems to believe are funnier than they actually are to me), nor the first act's emphasis on the yaks' destructive nature for comedy (which begins to feel tedious after only a short while) but the energy of the animation is great - similarly, Pinkie's monologue in the second act (which definitely feels more Larson-ish than Confalone's louder and more sitcom-esque style) and the ending are both well worth the awkwardness of the initial 10 minutes. 

Amending Fences: A stone-cold masterpiece of pony fiction. Since others have already pretty much expressed my feelings here, I must admit that my fondness for Larson's writing style stems from its energetic nature - his work has an absurd self-referentiality like Haber's and Confalone's but feels less sardonic than the former and less over-the-top than the latter, which leads to a light, brisk 'Faustian' touch that is surprisingly effective and, for lack of a better term, 'awesome'. 

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? : An awkwardly-written Frankenstein's monster of an episode that watches more akin to a mid-tier fanfiction than a legitimate FiM installment. The episode pushes for an emotional climax surrounding Luna's depression/self-harm, but ultimately fails due to all of the extraneous material clogging the episode's narrative gears (including the return of inconsiderately zany ADD-addled Pinkie). One of the show's worst episodes. 

Scare Master: A cliched outing salvaged by some incredible cinematography and art direction (the scene with Fluttershy creeping through Twilight's castle is visually one of the best in the series). 

Canterlot Boutique: Well-written and excellently characterized on Rarity and Pinkie's parts, albeit somewhat simple despite the grandiose presentation of the story. 

Rarity Investigates!: Slightly overrated, but solidly written and amusing (although I'm not typically one for the broader 'Nickelodeon-esque' comedy of the Lady Writers) with yet more excellent direction. 

Made in Manehattan: The blandest and most awkwardly paced of the S5 map episodes. In particular, the episode's plot is stretched noticeably thin and the comedy often leaves a somewhat sour edge.

Brotherhooves Social: Whilst the episode overplays the Orchard Blossom gag, the ending is well worth it as one of the show's most touching moments. 

Crusaders of the Lost Mark: Slightly overrated, but the grandiosity of the episode's execution transforms the otherwise simple plot into an altogether more emotional and cinematic experience, which definitely counts for something memorable. 

The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows: Pinkie's characterization is mostly solid, but the episode suffers from an overemphasis of its core gag and the lack of other material to ground the comedic main plot more securely. 

Hearthbreakers: The Pie family is amazing, but the actual plot is repetitive and the climax's impact softens considerably in light of this. 

What About Discord?: One of the show's most tedious and bizarrely wrongheaded installments. I honestly don't think that the plot here could work in any major way regardless of polishing, which is not a criticism I could apply to most of the show's worst episodes ("Putting Your Hoof Down", "One Bad Apple"). 

The Hooffields and McColts: I appreciate specific elements of this episode (the deliberate focus on the pettiness of the conflict was okay), albeit this is not enough to redeem the cliched nature (and somewhat over-idealized ending) of the episode's remainder. 

The Mane Attraction: Potentially presents its simple narrative in an overly grand way, but an affecting and emotional experience nonetheless. I'll definitely be missing AKR and Larson's writing in this show going forward into the more recent seasons. 

The Cutie Re-Mark: Incredibly ambitious and dark, yet ultimately feels too structurally uneven to support either quality (particularly considering that the M6 defeated each of the villains portrayed in a relatively short time - surely the rest of Equestria's population isn't so inept as to be unable to defeat Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon and the like, in addition to unbalancing the episode's message to indicate that the M6's friendship is mostly meaningful and important in that they happen to be six pieces of a potent magical force as opposed focusing on the other, more intangible/emotional benefits of friendship, which would have cohered more with Starlight's arc). Starlight's degeneration into a petty comic book villain (asides from a few scenes) also does not aid in this (I understand that they were leaning towards her being internally petty and enraged, but the way this is actually executed on-screen feels too over-the-top). A bizarrely disappointing finale, as admirable as its drive to experiment is. 

In conclusion to the surprising cynicism above, I rate S5 as a good season, and definitely one of the most unique of the series. Unlike S6, which I recall being altogether more conservative, most S5 episodes aspire towards a certain dramatic finality which provides a neat watching experience and a collection of more interesting failures than the dead ends of subsequent seasons, in addition to the season's highs being deservedly lauded as some of the show's best and most emotionally charged. Not to mention the excellence of the visuals this season - I love the sleeker look of S1-4, but the lightning and motion in this season is significantly more eye-catching and cinematic despite its occasional tendency to jar with the established character designs/background aesthetics. 

And next up is S6... my personal least favourite season, although I'm open to re-evaluation. As it stands:

S2 > S1 > S4 > S5 > S3 > S8 > S7 > S6

Edited February 7, 2019 by Them's Seeing Ponies