S09:E04 - Sparkle's Seven

[MangoFoalix 24,898]

Wow, I thought Twilight was gonna ignore Spike the entire episode but I guess not. Good ending and good episode. I enjoyed it.

[Sparklefan1234 161,807]

Just now, Dark Qiviut said:

What can I say? The princesses had some awesome lines and faces. XD Celestia's, especially at the end, are priceless. XD

 

Yep! DHX is always top notch when it comes to expressions. 

[MangoFoalix 24,898]

Also, Twilight's facial expressions were the best.

[Dark Qiviut 22,172]

QUICK ALERT, EVERYPONY!

A quick poll change: I took down the "Celestia" option in Poll #2. If you're gonna choose her, pick "Other" instead.

[RDDash 18,857]

With the title like that I've should have guessed what the episode was going to be about. But with recent drama about female driven Ocean 11 pony knock off it's difficult for me to genuinely like this episode. However I really liked that Spike cheated and asked Princess Luna to just give him the toy crown.

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

The third part of the poll needs to be multiple choice!

Because I'd pick the foreshadowing, the humor and Spike. Not to mention that I think this was a pretty good parody of a genre.

[Misty Shadow 7,078]

So the 100th episode was for the fans, and the 200th episode was for the writers...and the fans. I refuse to ever believe that twist ending featuring the most glorious image in the entire show was not also done for the fans.

Luna is a James Bond villain, Spike is a femme fatale, it even brings everything with the spy stuff full circle to tie it back to the title. Sparkle's Seven...007.  I love how even watching the after-interview before the episode didn’t sully the pleasure of that twist, because this episode just gets better and better the more you go back to it and feel things click in your head better. They even address the issue of predictability and have predictability vs. unpredictability as part of the plot’s conflict. Wonderful.  Even if you don’t get this episode at first, it’s still an endearing, funny gem that you’ll want to come back to to understand more and more.  

Edited April 20, 2019 by CloudMistDragon

[MangoFoalix 24,898]

This artwork made me giggle.

[Dark Qiviut 22,172]

2 minutes ago, CloudMistDragon said:

So the 100th episode was for the fans, and the 200th episode was for the writers...and the fans. I refuse to ever believe that twist ending featuring the most glorious image in the entire show was not also done for the fans.

It had to be, or at least was St. Germain's idea. Watching Luna act like an over-the-top villain (with the "cat" goose and score) is one of the funniest moments of the series.

3 minutes ago, TheTaZe said:

This artwork made me giggle.

Literally LOL'd.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

Only 4 episodes in and we have a strong contender for one of the best episodes in the series! 

[bwrosas 252]

Lesson of the eps. Never underestimate the younger sibling

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

More on the episode from Big Jim 

 

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

I'll admit that this episode did have some unexpected surprises in addition to cameo appearances, callbacks to previous episodes, and character development in terms of the sibling rivalry between Twilight and Shining Armour--I loved seeing Spike as a baby dragon. Compared to 'Slice of Life' on the other hand? I'd say 'Sparkle's Seven' didn't quite measure up to its predecessor but it did come relatively close. It just needed a bit more oomph in one or two places.

I won't deny that 'Sparkle's Seven' in terms of plot was awkward at points because of the nature behind what they were trying to accomplish and I suppose it could've benefited from a couple of revisions. But, it was meant to serve as a celebration of 200 episodes of Friendship is Magic, and this was mostly successful. Again, those positives I mentioned were done really well. However, they ended up using them a bit too much where it got to the point where such things wore out their welcome. It's not a good idea to rely entirely on these because pandering to nostalgia doesn't always work.

Also, it was nice to see Spike succeed in the end even if the ending felt like it ended way too quickly for its own good--a few more seconds would've made it better. Never underestimate the one who is on the outside because they can end up winning it all by using the proper resources. The fact that Luna was in on it too shows that she has a devious side not to mention she and Celestia still have their occasional disagreements. At least this one callback only made itself known in two places so it didn't overstay its welcome. A shame that Cadance wasn't included but I understand why given what was going on. That's just my thoughts right there regarding her.

You can tell that the voice cast enjoyed working on this one as well as the animators. I won't go into any more details seeing as others have already done so, but I will say that things can only get better here on both of these fronts. Sadly, an episode like this isn't likely to happen again due to this being the final season, so take it all in as best as you can. Did I enjoy 'Sparkle's Seven' though? Yes, I did, but it did have flaws which is to be expected as perfection is impossible to truly achieve. Maybe having so many references wasn't a good idea and the plot could've used a couple of fixes. And yet, the overall package is still pretty solid. Will people criticize me for these thoughts? Probably but then I'm much older so I see things differently than the younger ones do.

I'll give this episode... 90%.

[KH7672 1,604]

It really is amazing how well some stories can be put together when you have so many writers or story heads, but all it takes is a team that gets each other and knows who their writing for, and it's clear to see all five of these actresses got these characters and even the biggest mis-mash of ideas can coherently come together well. I will definitely be watching this one over again just to get all the hints and details each character was given to let them shine.

Edited April 20, 2019 by KH7672

[Dark Qiviut 22,172]

14 minutes ago, CloudMistDragon said:

Luna is a James Bond villain, Spike is a femme fatale, it even brings everything with the spy stuff full circle to tie it back to the title. Sparkle's Seven...007.  I love how even watching the after-interview before the episode didn’t sully the pleasure of that twist, because this episode just gets better and better the more you go back to it and feel things click in your head better. They even address the issue of predictability and have predictability vs. unpredictability as part of the plot’s conflict. Wonderful.  Even if you don’t get this episode at first, it’s still an endearing, funny gem that you’ll want to come back to to understand more and more.  

I'm rewatching this a second time, and you're right on point. This self-referential (if not self-deprecating) episode pokes a good amount of fun at the "predictability" aspect, which you described: SA predicting Twilight's plan while also predicting they would go forth with a brand-new plan while seemlessly tying into the James Bond satire. (Great catch with the title, BTW.)

The greatest episodes of the series are usually multi-layered: great on the surface with plenty of finer details on multiple watches, making it greater on the whole. Sparkle's Seven perfectly fits this mold.

4 minutes ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

More on the episode from Big Jim 

 

Thanks! I'll add it to the OP!

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

Just now, Dark Qiviut said:

I'm rewatching this a second time, and you're right on point. This self-referential (if not self-deprecating) episode pokes a good amount of fun at the "predictability" aspect, which you described: SA predicting Twilight's plan while also predicting they would go forth with a brand-new plan while seemlessly tying into the James Bond satire. (Great catch with the title, BTW.)

The greatest episodes of the series are usually multi-layered: great on the surface with plenty of finer details on multiple watches, making it greater on the whole. Sparkle's Seven perfectly fits this mold.

Thanks! I'll add it to the OP!

You're very welcome! I nearly screamed with utter joy when I saw this amazing tweet! The VAs are genius! 

[Will Guide 21,325]

So it was Ashleigh Ball's idea to have Rainbow interact with Zephyr Breeze? Thank you! Zephyr's horrible lack of understanding how annoying he is to Rainbow was a great set-up for "distracting the guard" routine.

[Dark Qiviut 22,172]

29 minutes ago, TheTaZe said:

This artwork made me giggle.

Found the artist who made it. This'll be added to the OP along with a credit line and Twitter link.

[Dark Qiviut 22,172]

9 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

So it was Ashleigh Ball's idea to have Rainbow interact with Zephyr Breeze? Thank you! Zephyr's horrible lack of understanding how annoying he is to Rainbow was a great set-up for "distracting the guard" routine.

What's so clever about this under the surface is Luna's awareness of his vanity, casualness, and how distracting him would help the RM5 invade Canterlot Castle.

[Sparklefan1234 161,807]

42 minutes ago, CloudMistDragon said:

Luna is a James Bond villain, Spike is a femme fatale,

 

We made the same connection. Awesome! 

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

54 minutes ago, Zestanor said:

She really isn't. Celestia gave the moon back to Luna, but the Canterlot castle and guard (and the whole city) were always associated with Celestia, never Luna. 

I'm not so sure. The cartoon itself doesn't seem to know. Way back to the first episode it's said that they ruled Equestria together. Add to that the changes in the throne room and the cartoon never showing Celestia pulling any sort of 'ruling'. And other things, but this thread isn't about that, so, PM, if you want to talk about it.

[ShootingStar159 2,155]

5 hours ago, Jeric said:

Plus she has a school to learn how to take over 

You mean the school that apparently the teachers also left for the day? If there’s no teachers to run the classes, why does Starlight need to be left out as well? This is the second time now this season the school has been used as a way to get rid of her, and both times they haven’t made any sense.

At least she was actually in the episode.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

The thing about Dubuc and Haber - they're the best when working together!

[Kion 7,374]

Well at least we can be thankful that Starlight was even in the episode. Unlike Sweetie belle, scootaloo, and the young 6 

The only thing I would of liked thou Is to see Starlights reaction to Spike winning the crown.

Edited April 20, 2019 by Mane 6

[Dark Qiviut 22,172]

5 minutes ago, FlareGun45 said:

The thing about Dubuc and Haber - they're the best when working together!

They were fantastic when writing Shadow Play, one of FIM's most ingenious episodes. This episode continues to show how well they work together.