Vote for the Best and Worst Episodes of Season 8!

[Music Chart Fan 819]

Now that Season 8 is officially over, what do you think were the best and worst (or, if you prefer, your favorite and least favorite) episodes of the season? In the poll above, you can vote for as many or as few episodes for each question as you wish, although many people traditionally have given a top 5 and bottom 5. At the bottom of each question, there is also a "None / Prefer not to answer" option. Also, feel free to post and explain your choices. Later on, I'll post the top 5 episodes that I liked most this season. Thanks for voting!

Edited October 15, 2018 by Music Chart Fan

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

For me Road To Friendship, The Washouts, Rockhoof and a Hard Place, What Lied Beneath, and Sounds of the Silence were easily the best of season 8 for me; and it's amazing they were FIVE in a row! The character struggles, general charm, and situational development just felt oh so GOOD!

As for the worst...the only two that comes remotely close to that would be Fake It and NCC; either through stupid situations or protagonists SO out of character it was annoying.

[Princess_Bellalatanya 1,053]

Season 8 for a grade I give a b plus,in the future can we explore more of the backstory of cadence,or see flurry become a filly

 

[Dark Qiviut 22,444]

Quote

What do you think were the BEST episodes of Season 8?

Voted for all twelve episodes I gave an A- or better:

1. A Rockhoof and a Hard Place: A+
2. The Break Up Break Down: A+
3. The Hearth's Warming Club: A
4. On the Road to Friendship: A
5. The Washouts: A
6. The Mean 6: A
7. Surf and/or Turf: A
8. Grannies Gone Wild: A
9. Sounds of Silence: A-
10. Horse Play: A-
11. Molt Down: A-
12. What Lies Beneath: A-

Quote

What do you think were the WORST episodes of Season 8?

Voted for these three:

1. Fake It 'Til You Make It: F
2. Non-Compete Clause: D-
3. A Matter of Principals: C-

[Woohoo 34,339]

Top 5 Best

1. Sounds of Silence
2. A Rockhoof and a Hard Place
3. Molt Down
4. What Lies Beneath
5. On the Road to Friendship

Top 5 Worst

1. Fake It 'till You Make It
2. The Mean Six
3. A Matter of Principals
4. Yakity Sax
5. Non-Compete Clause

Edited October 16, 2018 by Woohoo

[Tacodidra 61,262]

I had to choose seven favorites to include all the amazing episodes (and there were still a couple more I could have considered). While "School Raze" was the best episode of the season for me, I also voted for "Horse Play" and episodes 19 to 23.

"Fake It 'til You Make It" got my vote for worst episode. "Yakity-Sax" and "Father Knows Beast" were the other two I considered, but those two had some parts I enjoyed enough not to vote for them.

[Here No Longer 5,276]

Well, here's a cursory top 5 best and worst (with grade out of 10)

 

BEST

1. Rockhoof and a Hard Place (9.75/10)
2. The Mean Six (9.50/10) 
3. The Break-Up Breakdown (9.50/10) 
4. Grannies Gone Wild (9.50/10)
5. What Lies Beneath (9.25/10) 

 

 

WORST

1. Fake It 'Til You Make It (2.50/10) 
2. The End In Friend (3.25/10) 
3. The Non-Compete Clause (3.50/10) 
4. Yakity-Sax (4.00/10) 
5. Father Knows Beast (4.00/10)

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,668]

I have only seen about half of this season, so my options are limited. However, I can at least make a concrete choice of one for each category:

Best: The Parent Map. While the parents here are sorta written to an extreme annoyance level, I simply loved Starlight and Sunburst's interactions with each other and them. Plus I like how it showed that just because they were their parents, it doesn't mean they will agree on everything, but it all still ended fine in the end. There's just something about it all that I liked.

Worst: Horse Play. I can barely think of a single thing I liked about this episode. Twilight was once again written to be an idiot and written to be in the wrong, Celestia was also written to be a moron and her terrible acting was cringey as hell. Maybe that was the point, but I think it was a case where they did it too well, it was just awkward and not funny to me. The thing that sealed the deal was that god-awful ending with Celestia finding out she sucks at acting and being all pouty and pissy that Twilight didn't tell her that she was shit. Like, really? A princess over 1,000 years old and that's what breaks your back? Please. If it was almost any other character I could have sorta gotten behind it, but Celestia? No. All this did was further add fuel to my disliking towards Celestia as a character.

[PoisonClaw 8,164]

I still have a good chunk of episodes I have yet to see, but of the ones I have seen, I'd say my favorites were The Parent Map, Horse Play and Sound of Silence. Only episodes I didn't like were The Maud Couple and The Washouts due largely in part to Mud Briar and Lightning Dust respectively. 

[O-78 28,607]

Top 5 Best:

BEST: Sounds of Silence

2. Road to Friendship

3. The Washouts

4. Surf and/or Turf

5. Friendship University

 

Top 5 Worst:

5. Marks for Effort

4. Yakity-Sax

3. Father Knows Beast

2. Non-Compete Clause

WORST: A Matter of Principals

[Jeric 46,854]

Season 8 was strange. I only disliked two episodes, but not at the level I detested one last season. This season there were a few gems, but only one or two really madollar de be want to rewatch them. That said, it has the highest level of decent enjoyable episodes to duds of almost any season. It was a season that reminds me of a band with a LOT of decent songs, but only one that jumps out. These bands usually make the best albums dollar for dollar, but are usually never spoken about as "one of the best"

[Thrond 3,263]

I decided to stick to my scoring system and vote all episodes rated 78 or higher for "best," and all episodes rated 48 or lower for "worst." I think that accurately reflects my levels of enthusiasm towards those respective episodes. That's a higher score range for "worst" than "best" mainly because I don't use the lowest 20-30 scores on my scale much; this show just doesn't get that bad very often.

So for me, that means my least favourites were "Non-Compete Clause," "Fake It 'Til You Make It," "The Parent Map," "A Matter of Principals," "The End in Friend," and "Sounds of Silence." I have specific issues with each of these which you can find on their respective threads, but mostly I just found them either boring or annoying. I don't want to spend too much time on negativity at this point; for now, all of these episodes are in the rear view mirror to me. 

My favourites, then, are as follows:

Horse Play - Has most of the things I ask for in this show: sympathetic but misguided focus character, creative humour, a lighthearted tone, and an undercurrent of anxiety. It's a lot like my favourite season 2 episodes, but it also updates those elements in smart ways that make the characters feel like they've internalized many of the lessons seen in previous episodes. This feels a lot like what the show might have been like in an alternate universe where it successfully expanded upon and refined the tone of those earlier seasons. And Celestia is just SO CUTE in this, I love her, and I'm so glad she got to do something down-to-earth for once. 

The Mean 6 - Just an inspired concept all-around. Chrysalis is perfect as a comic relief villain, as this Wile E. Coyote-style ironic failure is perfect for her brand of hotheaded arrogance. The "mean 6" themselves, while reminiscent of the "Discorded" mane six from season 2, are also different in ways which are always really funny, and the mane six's reactions are consistently funny. Even the part where they jump to conclusions feels sensible and consistent, rather than just tiresome bickering. 

Marks for Effort - Something about the CMC helping Cozy Glow pass her friendship test is just plain adorable, but although they essentially fall into a mentor role here, they're still the ones who learn the most. It's not like they even do anything wrong, but the experience of teaching someone else makes them realize just how well they understand friendship, and how they can share that understanding with others. It's a character arc which doesn't call attention to itself, and yet it resonates all the more strongly because of it. Also: best Starlight appearance ever?

The Hearth's Warming Club - I like some of the student six more than others, but they're all charming in their own ways, and this episode combines that with this season's much-improved worldbuilding to great effect. I think all of the stories here are funny and cute, and there's just a nice, low-key atmosphere of warmth to the entire thing that the show so rarely achieves anymore. Sometimes, people can learn something about friendship without yelling at each other. All of that might have been enough to win me over to this episode's side, but then it pulls that twist at the end. It's genuinely inspiring that, after all of these years, even in this decrepit state, this show is still capable of such displays of maturation. 

Molt Down - Speaking of which, for all its repetition, I think this is a really clever and inspired take on puberty. I like how it represents the "Molt" as something which is in some ways familiar to human puberty, but also way different in other ways, and Spike's reaction to each of the symptoms remains sympathetic and funny throughout. I liked that this episode gave Zecora a little more personality and a little more to do, I thought all three of the mane six included here had some great funny moments, and Smolder's matter-of-fact attitude towards the sheer horror of dragon puberty is a total blast.

The Break Up Break Down - I had to watch this twice to look past the rote misunderstandings plot, but I'm glad I was able to come around to it. The banter here is just delightful, especially between Discord and Spike, but also between the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who never seem to run out of witty replies to their side of the misunderstanding. And I gotta say, Sugar Belle truly is adorable, and I'd be happy to see more of her and Mac's relationship. Hopefully the rest of it is less rocky. I'm still hesitant to call it one of the show's most inspired episodes, and it takes too long to really reveal its depth, but the moral about being honest with your significant other is a good one. 

On the Road to Friendship - I do have issues with this, but the "road trips are crazy" moral was enough for me to look past them, and this won me over almost immediately with Trixie and Starlight's fantastic magic routine. Barring some bickering around the midway point, their chemistry has never been better, and this just never stops piling on the charming moments. Delightful song! Ponies inspired by delightful song! Awkward friendship chant! And the jokes, even when the context is less fun, never stop being clever. The second half lags a little, but it starts strong, remains strong for several minutes, and then ends strong. 

Edited October 16, 2018 by AlexanderThrond

[Jeric 46,854]

1 hour ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Voted for all twelve episodes I gave an A- or better:

1. A Rockhoof and a Hard Place: A+
2. The Break Up Break Down: A+
3. The Hearth's Warming Club: A
4. On the Road to Friendship: A
5. The Washouts: A
6. The Mean 6: A
7. Surf and/or Turf: A
8. Grannies Gone Wild: A
9. Sounds of Silence: A-
10. Horse Play: A-
11. Molt Down: A-
12. What Lies Beneath: A-

Voted for these three:

1. Fake It 'Til You Make It: F
2. Non-Compete Clause: D-
3. A Matter of Principals: C-

 

Holy hell DQ, is Season 8 going to be your best reviewed season? Have any prior seasons scored better than that for you so far?

[CastletonSnob 3,078]

I was rewatching Fake It earlier. 

I still wish there was a more gradual transition to Fluttershy's personas being rude to the customers. 

[DonMaguz 1,023]

I voted for every episode I loved to watch this season:

- A Rockhoof and a Hard Place.

- On the Road to Friendship.

- Sounds of Silence.

- Marks for Effort.

- The Washouts.

- Horse Play.

- What Lies Beneath.

- The Break Up Breakdown.

- The Hearth's Warming Club.

- Surf and/or Turf.

 

The worst episode for me is 'Non-Compete Clause', I didn't vote for any others because this one was just a torture to watch.

[Truffles 2,033]

Oops! Didn't see you could vote for more than 1 episode and the votes can't be changed. I was torn between "Break Up,  Break Down" and "Molt Down" for best (picked the latter), but picking worst was easy: "Fake It Till You Make It." There are some parts of a few other episodes that were particularly bad (and even "Fake It" isn't totally bad, admittedly) but it left a sour taste in my mouth that was a little more noticeable that the other episodes I was meh about.

[Kion 7,407]

Top 5 best 

1.  On the Road to friendship 

2. The parent map 

3. A matter of principles 

4. The mean 6 

5. The washouts 

Top 5 worst 

1. Non compete clause 

2. Fathers knows beast 

3. Yakity sax 

4. Friendship university

6. The maud couple 

Worst episode: School Raze 

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

1 hour ago, Jeric said:

Season 8 was strange. I only disliked two episodes, but not at the level I detested one last season. This season there were a few gems, but only one or two really madollar de be want to rewatch them. That said, it has the highest level of decent enjoyable episodes to duds of almost any season. It was a season that reminds me of a band with a LOT of decent songs, but only one that jumps out. These bands usually make the best albums dollar for dollar, but are usually never spoken about as "one of the best"

That pretty much sums up my feelings, there were very few duds, and nothing I found truly bad, but at the same time, very little really truly stood out to me either, despite how much I enjoyed the season as a whole.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,596]

Most of the episodes in Season 8 were either very good/great or decent/good, which made it really hard to decide which was the best. What Lies Beneath did such a great job of developing the Student Six and setting up the season finale, and the payoff in "School Raze" retroactively made an already great episode the best of the season.

Conversely, it was much easier to decide which episode was the worst. 

Non-Compete Clause was an unfunny, obnoxious retread of Fall Weather Friends with clunky dialogue, forced humor, and horrible characterization. It's annoying to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash act like obnoxious 12-year olds after 8 Seasons worth of development and growth. It then becomes INFURIATING when their immaturity nearly gets them and the students killed. The episode tried to pass it off as them teaching the students what not to do, but I didn't buy it.

It's the only instance in Season 8 where the writers regressed/nerfed the Main 6 to make the Students look good. Fortunately, the rest of Season 8 mostly did a good job of positively portraying them, which makes this episode stick out even more.

 

Edited October 16, 2018 by Theanimationfanatic

[JH24 385]

For me personally:

 

Best:

School Daze (Interesting concept with the school and approach to racism)

Break-Up Break-Down (I always enjoy the Discord/Big Mac/Spike trio)

Matter of Principals (Nice callbacks and dialogue/some genuine tension with Discord)

School Raze (Cozy Glow manipulating everyone/Student 6)

Worst:

Fake it until you make it (Fluttershy's treatment of animals and weak apology)

Non-compete Clause (Rainbow Dash and Applejack putting student's lives in danger and they aren't even sorry)

The End in Friend (Conflict between RD and Rarity felt way too forced, resolution felt meaningless. They should have figured it out themselves instead of others sending them on an adventure)

Edited October 16, 2018 by JH24

[Dark Qiviut 22,444]

17 hours ago, Jeric said:

 

Holy hell DQ, is Season 8 going to be your best reviewed season?

It already has.   When a season has so much high-quality content, it deserves such praise.

17 hours ago, Jeric said:

Have any prior seasons scored better than that for you so far?

Yes. S5 and 7 have three A-pluses each, but less episodes with at least an A-.

Edited October 16, 2018 by Dark Qiviut

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Best: Molt Down

Least: Yakity-Sax

[FirePuppy 735]

3 hours ago, FlareGun45 said:

Best: Molt Down

Least: Yakity-Sax

I agree with your least favorite, but I think the best one is Horse Play.

I really hope Season 9 will have a lot more and better Pinkie Pie episodes to make up for what happened this season.

[Music Chart Fan 819]

I've finally constructed the list of my top 5 favorite episodes this season, as I've done for the previous four seasons. I actually found this somewhat challenging, since there were several episodes - including many in the last quarter of the season - which I liked about the same, and it was difficult for me to narrow those down to make a top 5. But here, not necessarily in rank order, are what I believe are my top 5 favorite episodes of Season 8.

The Break Up Break Down (Episode 10): This is an episode where @Truffles's enthusiasm and observations about it wore off on me and caused me to like it more. There were many funny and relatable moments, including Discord's sarcastic and cynical lines, and Skellinore's suddenly having to deal with consoling Big Mac. It's also nice to see Spike helping Big Mac out with his planned big day, to see Discord trying to cheer Big Mac up, and to see that Spike's good-natured (if somewhat syrupy) point of view ultimately convinced Discord to help Big Mac out in the end. And I'll admit that Big Mac's and Sugar Belle's interactions are cute.

The Washouts (Episode 20): I liked seeing Rainbow's concern about and affection toward Scootaloo, particularly near the end of the episode, after Rainbow saves Scootaloo and starts a fan club for her. It was also kind of a nice surprise to see Rainbow's parents at the Scootaloo fan club meeting. We get some nice interaction between Twilight and Rainbow, and we even get to see Twilight helping Scootaloo eavesdrop on her fan club meeting. I also found it funny to see Rainbow pretending to casually stumble upon Scootaloo's Washouts meeting, and to see Rainbow kind of freaking out about Scootaloo's becoming a fan of something other than Rainbow and the Wonderbolts. And I saw Rainbow's dilemma between letting Scootaloo be her own person and do what she wants, while still feeling an obligation to protect her and wanting her to look up to Rainbow, as interesting.

Molt Down (Episode 11): This is another episode that @Truffles was enthusiastic about and consequently raised my enjoyment of. As with "The Break Up Break Down", there are several funny and relatable moments, including Rarity's initial discovery of Spike's stone scale and Spike's and Peewee's affection for each other. There were several times where Twilight and Rarity showed understanding for Spike and that they care about him, which was nice to see. After Smolder's helpfulness in other episodes this season, it's a little easier to see Smolder as ultimately well-meaning in this episode, and not take her teasing Spike too seriously. And Spike's wings have been shown in use several other times this season, serving to cement them as a permanent part of Spike's identity.

Sounds of Silence (Episode 23): I may not have loved this episode to the extent that many other people did, but there's still a feel-good charm to it that I liked. The Kirin are cute and likable, and it's nice to see them be convinced to get their feelings and voices back, and to see them rediscover the joys of those things. I also did like Autumn Blaze's earnestness, enthusiasm (when not too over-the-top), and pleasant voice. And even as Applejack's presumptuous attitude is kind of off-putting, that also makes it funny to see Applejack get agitated at the Kirin's non-response to her.

A Rockhoof and a Hard Place (Episode 21): The premise of this episode - Rockhoof's struggling to fit in to the modern world, and feeling isolated and despondent when he can't - is relatable, and it's nice to see the Mane Six and the rest of the school taking a genuine interest in finding a place for him and making him feel as though he belongs. It was also nice to see what the other Pillars are doing, and to see that they're doing well for themselves. I also liked Spike's and Smolder's fire-breathing contest, and Spike's no-nonsense attitude when substituting for Twilight's class. Finally, Twilight's comments about the stars moving slowly over time also proved to be interesting, and served as an impetus for me to learn a little more about astronomy!

[nighmare glim2 0]

Top 5 best 

1. On the road to friendship 

2. The parent map 

3. Sound of silence 

4. School raze 

5. What lies beneath 

Top 5 worst 

1. Non compete clause 

2 yakity sax 

3. Friendship university 

4. Fake it till you make it 

5. The maud couple