S09:E03 - Uprooted

[Kion 7,374]

I do not like this episode at all all it is is castle sweet castle 2.0 only worse. 

Edited April 17, 2019 by Pip plup

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

This was a nice episode. Wonder if the new treehouse will be the young 6's new living quarters...? Also, I wonder if episodes will be linking to one another this season since it is the last season...

Love the throwback to Season 8 Episode 22, seeing Smolder in that dress and lipstick was adorable. And yay! First song of the season. I'd give it a 8/10 in my book. 

[Music Chart Fan 818]

8 hours ago, Truffles said:

I wonder if having this new structure out in the open instead of a cave will help shrink the Everfree away from it? It would be convenient if a few acres of land were to clear itself in the immediate area, since that might help make this new fortress accessible to the masses. Wasn't the Everfree just a garden when the castle was actually in use and it simply grew out of control after the capital was moved?

I hadn't really thought about this or noticed it before, but when I combed back through the episodes, it appears that the immediate surrounding area of the Castle of the Two Sisters has always been clear: in flashback ("Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2", "Shadow Play - Part 2"), in the present ("Friendship Is Magic - Part 2", "Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2", "Castle Mane-ia", "Inspiration Manefestation", "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1", "School Daze - Part 2"), and even in the alternate timeline where Nightmare Moon took over Equestria ("The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2"). So I suppose that the immediate surrounding area's being clear is nothing new.

Also, in the flashback in "Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2", there does appear to be forest beyond the immediate surrounding area of the Castle. So I guess I'm not exactly sure when or how the Everfree Forest became particularly dangerous, or if it always was. Maybe, as you suggest, something did happen after the Castle of the Two Sisters was abandoned to make the Everfree Forest more dangerous, such as the Elements of Harmony becoming lost or inactive.

But it seems that we still don't really have a definite answer for whether there's a clear and safe path to the new crystal treehouse and the Tree of Harmony (and the remains of the Castle of the Two Sisters), or whether a trip there through the Everfree Forest is still (at least somewhat) dangerous. If the crystal treehouse is going to play a role in later episodes, perhaps we might have to wait and see if the trip to it is ever shown or talked about.

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

On 4/16/2019 at 2:15 AM, CypherHoof said:

Not sure she got the context; the tree has been sending ponies on friendship missions for some time, but that isn't the same as a glittery Twi-shaped avatar actually talking to anypony. Given the general opinion that the tree was destroyed, it is more reasonable that Twi skipped over the details to focus on "but the tree is gone!" from that.

Yeah.  I was kinda thinkin' that as well.

On 4/16/2019 at 2:15 AM, CypherHoof said:

That the newest group of element-bearers took up the torch for the recovery of the Tree is just fine too though; as the Mane 6 move more into the role of the Royal Sisters, and friendship missions begin to push outside of the borders of the Pony lands, it would make sense that the "roving troubleshooter" role would pass to this younger generation, given the rulers of Equestria will have less freedom to drop everything and go.

*Sigh*  Yeah.  Much as it irks me, that makes sense, and I guess if the mane 6 are to take up the Sister's mantle, then it would naturally follow for the students to take up the mane six's.  If the mane six's concerns will be bigger and broader, then they can't concern themselves as much with smaller, local stuff.  You can't call the president if your wifi network goes down.  That's what the local IT troubleshooter guy is for.  But still, I must argue that the ToH is a big deal--an Equestria-wide concern, and it just seemed bogus to me that no one but the students cared to be there for its memorial.  It just felt like everyone else was all, "Eh, it's dead.  Whatever.  Just leave the ruins there.  Who cares?"  I suppose it's fine to delegate the task of cleaning up the remains and building a memorial to the students, but the fact that no one else even showed up is what bothers me the most, I think.  Perhaps I'd feel fine about it if the the whole cast turned out to see the treehouse.  "Hey guys, remember that thing we've been strongly connected to for the past eight years?  And hey Starswirl, remember that thing you created that protected the world in your absence?  It's not dead after all!  Perhaps you'd like to see it?" 

On 4/16/2019 at 10:25 AM, Music Chart Fan said:

I understand that we would want to see Twilight and the Mane Six first learn of the Tree of Harmony's sentience, and we would want for that to be a significant scene. But my impression, particularly after the sort of nonchalance with which this episode treats the subject, was that we might just have to assume that that happened offscreen, disappointing as that may be. As far as I remember, the only reason that the Student Six didn't tell Twilight or anyone about their direct communication with the Tree of Harmony is that Cozy Glow asked them not to. So after the events of "School Raze", I wouldn't think that the Student Six have any particular reason to keep that a secret any more.

Furthermore, we might think that, shortly after stopping Cozy Glow and saving Equestria, the Student Six and the Mane Eight would have some kind of "debriefing" where they all tell each other what happened and what they did. In that case, it would come up that the magic of the Tree of Harmony probably saved the Student Six, and if asked why that might have happened, then the Student Six could have talked about how the Tree of Harmony had communicated with them and "tested" them before.

I suppose it's still possible that this is being saved for a big revelation to Twilight and the Mane Six later, but I guess I'm not really expecting that at this point. However, it does seem at least more likely that the Tree of Harmony could still directly communicate with Twilight and/or the Mane Six in a later episode, as @Truffles suggests.

Yeah.  That sounds about right.  All of this sounds pretty bang on the money.

[Rushing cash 824]

16 hours ago, FlareGun45 said:

Anyone else wish Spike and Thorax interacted in here?

I dont think they should have interacted in this episode, it wasnt neccessary but I hope they will interact again soon. Maybe even bring thoraxs brother.

[TransitPony 219]

Well, this episode was pretty nice to say the least. The tree has a ecology structure based on friendship and unity. In other words, the tree needed new groups of creatures to help bring it to a new era in Equestria's history (i.e. Twilight becoming head-of-state). One only imagines of the more challenges the Student Six face as we carry on into this season. 

[Plonkett 341]

Here's a video review of the episode.

Edited April 18, 2019 by vgmaster9

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

On 4/16/2019 at 9:56 PM, AlexanderThrond said:

Well, the students befriended it, whereas Twilight has never really met the tree, and the tree seems to just take Twilight's form because it's familiar to the students. 

Though that probably means the tree wouldn't look like Twilight to talk to Twilight... Celestia, maybe? 

Idk, I think the Tree takes Twilights form because she is the embodiment of the main element and the primary symbol on the tree

[Allen 1,371]

We have the Young Six appear in this episode once again for this season! Memorializing the Tree of Harmony (and its Elements) is not that easy for them after it was destroyed by King Sombra back in the season premiere in two weeks back; instead, they build it up during the song and it grows into a new structure. Cleaning this up does work after the mess was made. That was not just repairing the Tree of Harmony but to grow a new structure from below the Cave of Harmony. Princess Twilight Sparkle is a spirit for this episode, and that is the wisdom from her.

I will say this episode is great too! 

[Rainbowfan45 22]

I loved this. The Young Six, or Student 6, whatever you want to call them, act alot like the Mane 6. Get called to do something, get in an argument, then realize that hey, hold on. This is supposed to be about Friendship. Let's resolve this peacefully now, and be friends again. And I actually believe these youngsters are being prepped to take over for the Mane 6. There are so many similarities, and the Tree has communicated with them what, 2 times? Three, technically, if you count when it saved them and empowered them to save Equestria from Cozy. Anyway, this was an awesome episode. 

[JCKane 345]

This episode was alright.  Annoyed that it didn't catch it and I had to watch it on "Dish On-Demand" which can suck with my net :/

Again, I still prefer the Mane 6 over the Student 6 but like I said it wasn't bad.  Granted, I feel like it again reused some themes and felt a little short for me (and this coming from the one who had to take a break watching it because of the stupid loading DOD has :/ )

Wonder why they even have the tree show up in Twilight form... like any special reason or did the show owners just not want to draw a new pony or higher a new voice actor :P  (not that one of the current ones could have done it.)

Aside for that, disappointed we don't get to see inside of it.  But maybe in the next episode.  (which I'm watching immediately after :P

[LucasB 195]

The first thought that went through my head when the new treehouse appeared was that

"Yep, looks like Hasbro needed a new toy".

[Here No Longer 5,270]

I thought this episode... was okay. Not really good though. My biggest problem is that if the rest of the Student Six had listened to Yona from the beginning, the conflict of the entire episode could have been avoided and that isn't to mention that I find it absurdly hard to believe these random six creatures have some sort of special connection to the Tree, for some reason. If it were the MANE SIX, it would actually make sense, but it's not the mane six. It's the student six. It still had a pretty good song at the end, and a decent although overused moral in the context of this show. 6.5/10. 

[Violet Bookish 349]

I wouldn't really say this episode was bad but it didn't really have anything interesting to offer. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the destruction of The Tree of Harmony went somewhere and I like the idea of the treehouse, but hints the phrasing "I like the idea". I like the idea that the student six are somehow connected to the bigger picture, I like the idea of them being close to the tree of harmony, maybe even arguably closer than the main six, and I adore the idea of moving on from the elements and tree to something new. Do I like the execution? Not so much.

These are one of those episodes where I could tell someone was pulling the strings. It just felt all so contrived and boring. For a group of friends that work so well together, it didn't make sense to me why they all insisted on going their separate ways. The only reason I can think of is because it was convenient for the story. There needed to be more of a build up. My other issue, which is my biggest issue, is the tree itself. But to explain that I need to explain how I see the student six and their role in everything.

I definitely see the student six as the successors of the main six. I actually really like this idea of passing down the torch. It gives the audience something new and can sometimes shed new light on topics already explored, seeing as they might see things differently than their mentors. Now, we won't fully see the torch passed onto them since we only have one season and the main six still have some important development they need to undergo, but still, the student six sometimes get the spotlight. But, let's refer back to my comment, "..can sometimes shed new light on topics already explored, seeing as they might see things differently than their mentors". The episode's handling of this, in my opinion, is very poor. Rather than seeing the student six as their own individuals and giving them something special to represent this, they basically just get a mini Twilight's castle. When it's with Twilight I'm okay with sticking with the crystal design, it's kind of become connected to her at this point. But with the student six, it just bores me. Maybe they couldn't do much as far as design goes considering it's made out of a crystal tree, but still, it just feels too alike to Twilight's castle. Feels like it might have been a better idea to save for later and the tree should have been made into something else. 

I do however like the idea that the treehouse is open to all. It really puts emphasis on how the student six have learned to be open to other creatures thanks to the school. However, I feel like we could have gotten this and more with a different and more interesting story. I just think it'd be better if the show went down a more unique route for the student six rather than showing us what we've already seen before. But still, not the worst episode, I just didn't enjoy it all that much.

Edited June 12, 2019 by Violet Bookish

[Venomous 18,813]

I wasn’t a fan of this one. It was cute but that’s all it was to me...cute. I thought that the story was predictable (with the exception of the very end with the tree). I also didn’t like the song. I am excited to see what is done with the clubhouse.

[heavens-champion 1,893]

Remember when we all thought this episode was gonna be when the Student 6 became the new Bearers of the Elements of Harmony?

[bigbertha 410]

This is just Castle Sweet Castle. Characters are remembering something that was destroyed and have different ways of doing them. They all clash and end in a song while working together. There are a couple differences, but those are more surface level. The cores of both episodes are nearly identical. I found Castle Sweet Castle to be boring and I find this episode to be boring. 

Score: 5/10

[Denim&Venöm 16,464]

This is what Twilight's Castle shouldve been, both the episode and the actual castle. 

[Jedishy 3,542]

This episode and the destruction of the elements are what showed me that the Mane Six appear to become unworthy over time just like Celestia. I mean if you think about it rather then reform they were pulling what Celestia and Luna did and trying to attack with them. 

I dont consider this a flaw either. When you go to battle for long enough you become jaded. It takes a new generation to renew the hope each era. IE seeds fall from the tree an spread the orchard. 

Now here is the real question:

 

• Healing to Kindness
• Bravery to Loyalty
• Sorcery to Magic
• Beauty to Generosity
• Hope to Laughter
• Strength to Honesty

What will the new generation be? 

[cuteycindyhoney 13,282]

On 4/17/2019 at 6:08 PM, GlimGlam said:

I do not like this episode at all all it is is castle sweet castle 2.0 only worse. 

I thought I was alone in that. All I kept thinking was that I liked the first version better. It was a very weak episode, and I like the students! If anyone restored the tree, it should have been Twilight and the mane six. Instead, it was like Twilight said "It's not worth it. Let the students mess around and see what happens"

[Moony the Cat 3,695]

I enjoyed this Episode quite much, it really shows that new species learn about friendship and take the lessons from the ponys at heart. And the new friendship and bonds of all the new species helps the tree grow again into something even bigger, i think it was a great message! 

Also it was funny and i like the dynamic between the student six.

[Savygriffs 5,019]

This.. this is one of my favorite episodes, but of course I might be a bit bias since literally any episode with the students is my fav.

I just thought this one was adorable, plus the song is everything to me.

[GloryForShame 26]

Ngl, i wish they kept the house the young six made, it feels and looks more special than the big ass tree house for selling toys, i didn't really liked the ideia, but the design of the new tree is not bad.

[Otaku-sempai 150]

On 2021-07-03 at 2:31 AM, Moony the Cat said:

I enjoyed this Episode quite much, it really shows that new species learn about friendship and take the lessons from the ponys at heart. And the new friendship and bonds of all the new species helps the tree grow again into something even bigger, i think it was a great message! 

Also it was funny and i like the dynamic between the student six.

I saw a definite shift in the relation of the Elements to the Student Six. In the FIM Season 8 finale ("School Raze") the Elements seem to line up with the students as follows:

Gallus = Magic
Ocellus = Generosity
Sandbar = Kindness
Silverstream = Laughter
Smolder = Loyalty
Yona = Honesty

Then, in Season 9, Episode 3 ("Uprooted") we see evidence of a shift:



Gallus = Loyalty (previously Magic)
Ocellus = Kindness (previously Generosity)
Sandbar = Magic (previously Kindness)
Silverstream = Laughter (no change)
Smolder = Generosity (previously Loyalty)
Yona = Honesty (no change)

And in the series finale ("The Last Problem"), during Twilight's song "The Magic of Friendship Grows", we see the relationships seemingly back in their original configuration. Now it looks like the Student Six never got the chance to become the new Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Or if they did then we never saw it.