S09:E05 - The Point of No Return

[RulesofRarity 489]

My only minor problem with the episode is that I think too much time is spent looking for Dusty meaning that when Twilight does eventually find her, we don't get to spend much time to get to know her.

Edited April 27, 2019 by RulesofRarity

[Kion 7,374]

I would of liked to see a little more of moondancer and get to know dusty more as well as having  Starlight tagging along as well but oh well you can’t have everything you want in an episode.  As to how I feel about this episode I thought it was alright not bad but not great either.  Love how spikes  the voice of reasoning again he really is written awesome this season so far. I like dusty she’s pretty cool just wish we got to see her character more. Nice that derpy got to speak again. And it was funny how Twilight ask Silver stream and Gallus but not the others.

Edited April 27, 2019 by Fluttertastic 16

[KH7672 1,604]

4 minutes ago, Fluttertastic 16 said:

And it was funny how Twilight ask Silver stream and Gallus but not the others.

Twilight wasn't going ask the other because she's looking for Dusty Pages at a place called "silver" something, get the joke? 

[FirePuppy 621]

The only thing I liked at all about this episode was Twilight meeting Moon Dancer again. Everything else, it's another story.

[Zantetsuken 364]

Good episode

I mostly liked it, I will say though a weak point is the second act where Twilight is searching for Dusty after getting to the Retirement Home.

I feel like spike was one of the best parts of the episode, He reacts to Twilight the same way a general audience member watching the episode would. That is when he's used best, at least that's how it felt for me. Also I liked seeing Moondancer again. 

Not much more to say other than another strong showing from season 9. I am very satisfied with the season so far, so I look forward to more good episodes. 

7.4/10 

Edited April 27, 2019 by Zantetsuken

[Sonic5421 423]

I actually share Twilight's paranoia regarding having something overdue to my library and fearing the repercussions for doing so. For me, it is mostly the overdue fine since I have to pay 10 cents/day, cumulative, for every day the book or magazine I checked out is past its due date. However, I make sure to get it in as soon as possible so the fine does not become too expensive.

I do like how Twilight felt that her mistake may have caused her favorite librarian to lose her job because of her, but in the end, the librarian resigned because she was now free to pursue other options that she couldn't while bound to her perfect record at the Canterlot Library.

Very nice episode, especially for the flashbacks to the series pilot and Twilight's aura when still a unicorn being white instead of the magenta it is now, so I'm giving it a rating of 9/10, possibly a 9.5/10.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

10 minutes ago, Zantetsuken said:

Good episode

I mostly liked it, I will say though a weak point is the second act where Twilight is searching for Dusty after getting to the Retirement Home.

I feel like spike was one of the best parts of the episode, He reacts to Twilight the same way a general audience member watching the episode would. That is when he's used best, at least that's how it felt for me. Also I liked seeing Moondancer again. 

Not much more to say other than another strong showing from season 9. I am very satisfied with the season so far, so I look forward to more good episodes. 

7.4/10 

So far, there has yet to be a flat-out bad outing in the season so far. Granted this could change easily,

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

SPOILER ALERT!

 

I just saw the new episode! I really love this one too! It had a very “Amending Fences” sort of feel in a good way. Almost like a sequel to “Amending Fences”. I LOVED seeing the “Tasty Treat” restaurant again! It was so perfect having Moon Dancer in the episode and it was fantastic to see the “Tasty Treat” is still doing well. I loved how the retirement community was depicted as super active and not like a depressing nursing home. It was great to see good media representation of elderly characters yet again from this show. I adored the lesson about perfection as I am very much like Twilight in that regard and I know perfectionism is not a healthy habit when it goes too far. I also know how Twilight felt with the book as I was never a good library book returner and told my friend just last week if he gave me his favorite novel he would likely never see it again. Nice to hear Derpy/Muffins talk yet again! I didn’t expect her to. The only downsides to the episode was Coriander and Marsala not making an appearance since they are some of my very favorite side ponies with their adorable India accents and the characters were already in their restaurant for crying out loud! The other thing I didn’t like is Twilight had already been back to her Canerlot apartment in “Amending Fences” so she should remember that she left a ton of stuff there and even gave Moon Dancer the key! Sad that this is GM Barrow’s last episode but I’m so glad she had fun with it! She is NOT the worst writer!

[YoshiAngemon 223]

Just now, StitchandMLPlover said:

SPOILER ALERT!

 

I just saw the new episode! I really love this one too! It had a very “Amending Fences” sort of feel in a good way. Almost like a sequel to “Amending Fences”. I LOVED seeing the “Tasty Treat” restaurant again! It was so perfect having Moon Dancer in the episode and it was fantastic to see the “Tasty Treat” is still doing well. I loved how the retirement community was depicted as super active and not like a depressing nursing home. It was great to see good media representation of elderly characters yet again from this show. I adored the lesson about perfection as I am very much like Twilight in that regard and I know perfectionism is not a healthy habit when it goes too far. I also know how Twilight felt with the book as I was never a good library book returner and told my friend just last week if he gave me his favorite novel he would likely never see it again. Nice to hear Derpy/Muffins talk yet again! I didn’t expect her to. The only downsides to the episode was Coriander and Marsala not making an appearance since they are some of my very favorite side ponies with their adorable India accents and the characters were already in their restaurant for crying out loud! The other thing I didn’t like is Twilight had already been back to her Canerlot apartment in “Amending Fences” so she should remember that she left a ton of stuff there and even gave Moon Dancer the key! Sad that this is GM Barrow’s last episode but I’m so glad she had fun with it! She is NOT the worst writer!

You can blame whatever caused Apu Nahasapeemapetilon's removal on The Simpsons. Without him, the Kwik-E-Mart is just another generic 7-Eleven, or Springfield has become a healthier place to live in, where people will eat their Steamed Hams and have Steamed Limes for dessert.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

Just now, YoshiAngemon said:

You can blame whatever caused Apu Nahasapeemapetilon's removal on The Simpsons. Without him, the Kwik-E-Mart is just another generic 7-Eleven, or Springfield has become a healthier place to live in, where people will eat their Steamed Hams and have Steamed Limes for dessert.

Huh? I don't understand what you mean or how it relates to the episode. Please explain? You mean characters from India? 

[YoshiAngemon 223]

1 minute ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

Huh? I don't understand what you mean or how it relates to the episode. Please explain? You mean characters from India? 

https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/television/the-simpsons-finally-addressed-the-problem-with-apu-and-now-no-one-is-happy

Rather than explain it myself, because I don't understand it either, you can click this article. All I know is that an Indian stereotype was labeled as politically incorrect, and because of this, the Indian Characters were dropped.

[Zestanor 98]

8 minutes ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

 other thing I didn’t like is Twilight had already been back to her Canerlot apartment in “Amending Fences” so she should remember that she left a ton of stuff there and even gave Moon Dancer the key!

From what I gathered, she cleaned up most everything during her previous visit. She left a significant number of books in the study for Moondancer. Celestia just mailed her the rest of her personal items that she accidentally missed.  

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

Just now, YoshiAngemon said:

https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/television/the-simpsons-finally-addressed-the-problem-with-apu-and-now-no-one-is-happy

Rather than explain it myself, because I don't understand it either, you can click this article. All I know is that an Indian stereotype was labeled as politically incorrect, and because of this, the Indian Characters were dropped.

Oh I see. This sucks. My 2 friends who were born in India find characters from India to be hilarious on TV and not the slightest bit offensive so they are going to be quite disappointed when I show them this. I want characters from India and Hindu characters to be written respectfully and I would prefer characters from India to be played by Indian actors for authentic performance, but this is just PC police as my 2 friends with Indian accents would say. In MLP's case they probably just couldn't call the old VAs in who did the characters back in or something. Pity. 

[Brainstorm 4,092]

It was cool seeing Moondancer in this episode. Seeing a clip of the first episode. Cool it was a Twilight and Spike episode.

Defiantly showed how serious Twilight takes book borrowing. Twilight also showed she's fine with being non-perfect, nopony's perfect.

Edited April 27, 2019 by Brainstorm

[RDDash 18,847]

Yeah, it went exactly how I thought it would go, so maybe 2.5/5?

I was more interested in contents of Twilight's box then the rest of the episode. Certainly the book didn't really matter since she wasn't in a such a hurry to return it. (G1 Starswirl action figure, Gay something report, )

Spike was extra grouchy in this episode, like I am tired of your shit, Twilight.

Moondancer yay 

Edited April 27, 2019 by R.D.Dash

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

I think this episode focused and determined so much to deliver one mediocre lesson, it didn't almost do anything else. It wasn't too painful to watch because the story was kinda moving forward and we got to see new sceneries and characters, but it didn't mean that much. The lesson kinda felt forced and unnatural like "don't do drugs kids!" cartoon campaign. And all the callbacks and stuff didn't make me feel anything. Moondancer, Twilight's old house, Twilight's old library, The Indian restaurant, Twilight's book at the first episode where it lasted few frames. These are so insignificant and tedious that it's almost amazing. The constant trotting out the ghost thing has been a more exclusive aspect of fan-services in the show, but in this one takes the cake for being meaningless and being less impactful and insincere.

I think the writers don't know how and what to do with any of the characters in the show anymore. The mane six, student six, the royalty, family members, villains, secondary characters, background characters etc. That's what I think.

[Truffles 2,033]

Another episode I loved. There were a few pacing issues, but otherwise a really fun romp through memory lane.

 

1 hour ago, Will Guide said:

Did anyone else got freaked out by the pony with the the pointy muzzle wearing a mask that fits his pointy muzzle?

Yeah, that was really freaky. Not sure what it was a reference to, if anything.

 

1 hour ago, cmarston1 said:

I also find it funny to note that because of her actions in the first episode of the series, Twilight has managed to ruin the lives of multiple ponies.

I wouldn't say she ruined Dusty's life - even though she thinks she did for most of this episode. Her forgetting to return the book turned out to be the best thing that happened to Dusty.

 

1 hour ago, RulesofRarity said:

Although we only saw for Moondancer for a little bit, it was nice to see her again. We can see how far she's come since Amending Fences, since she's willingly out with a friend in a restaurant.

That moment was a nice surprise and great bit of character growth for Twilight. She took the lesson from "Amending Fences" and didn't hesitate to apply it here. That alone is enough to make this the best G.M. Berrow episode to date.

 

1 hour ago, VG_Addict said:

Spike's had a speaking role in every episode of the season so far.

Not quite - he didn't have any lines in episode 2, since he was zombified the whole time. Cathy Weseluck's name didn't even appear in the credits for that one. However, he still did appear, so it counts towards not being forgotten in any episode so far.

@FlareGun45 must be very happy that the curse of Spike's odd-numbered seasons where he either gets poorly written or barely gets airtime (in just 5 episodes this season, he's appeared more than he did for the entirety of S7) is finally broken.

 

1 hour ago, Odyssey said:

And when Twi is at her lowest, Spike gives some really solid advice. Really, it was nice to focus on just those two, and to see a side where Twilight knows that she doesn't feel she's perfect.

I was a bit worried when I heard the premise that the Twilight freak-outs would start to get stale. But the way the episode plays out, that never happens. When it's revealed Dusty was "fired" because of that book, Twilight had a right to be concerned that she was to blame. But the episode switches things up and instead of Twilight continuing to worry about herself, she immediately gets concerned over the librarian. Spike still tries to reassure her, but in a way that's balanced and sensible. (And even he has a few moments of panic when it comes to the fines and other ramifications of her never returning the book.) Berrow's best work using dialogue to express the mood, hands down.

 

59 minutes ago, Buttonmash1973 said:

Some light episode with so much callback after episode 200.

I was very happy to see baby Spike again in the family photo. Seems like everyone' working on the series is finally on the same page that Spike did indeed exist between the times of his hatching and Twilight leaving for Ponyville.

 

45 minutes ago, RulesofRarity said:

My only minor problem with the episode is that I think too much time is spent looking for Dusty meaning that when Twilight does eventually find her, we don't get to spend much time to get to know her.

A minor gripe I have is the pacing changes so abruptly between the first two acts and the third act. In the former, the visual gags, Easter eggs, and funny dialogue come in rapid-fire succession. The third act slows that pace considerably, and feels more like a typical Berrow episode. I was really enjoying the adrenaline rush, and felt its lack of presence when it stopped. Like I said, no biggie, but I would have liked to see the pace slow more gradually than it did. But why complain about perfection in an episode where that's the moral? XD

Also, after last week's episode, hearing Twilight refer to Spike as "best companion" just reminded me of how he really wants to be thought of. I imagine there are technical reasons why she didn't refer to him as "L.B.B.B.F" since all these scripts are written in parallel, but that was the only other jarring aspect I experienced while watching this one.

 

4 minutes ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

I really love this one too! It had a very “Amending Fences” sort of feel in a good way. Almost like a sequel to “Amending Fences”.

This really did feel like a nice followup to that episode. If they had had Moondancer tag along during the search it would have made it even better!

 

26 minutes ago, YoshiAngemon said:

You can blame whatever caused Apu Nahasapeemapetilon's removal on The Simpsons. Without him, the Kwik-E-Mart is just another generic 7-Eleven, or Springfield has become a healthier place to live in, where people will eat their Steamed Hams and have Steamed Limes for dessert.

I'm dubious that that is the reason why they didn't appear. They could have appeared and not had any dialogue if they were concerned about Caucasian actors playing ethnic roles . I don't think anyone could argue showing other cultures wearing colorful outfits in a non-human fantasy setting is somehow insulting. (Heck, we even got Derpy speaking again in this episode.) My guess is there wasn't time to include them since they had so many Easter egg pony assets they had to create.

On a side note, I'm thoroughly impressed with Spike's knowledge of naan (and giggling over how he just assumed the role of waiter without even putting up a fight, lol). It would make sense since he's the castle cook and likely has to prepare appropriate meals for visiting dignitaries who come to see the Castle of Friendship.

 

Just now, R.D.Dash said:

Spike was extra grouchy in this episode, like I am tired of your shit, Twilight.

Huh. I didn't get that impression. He was just trying to prevent a lot of time being wasted since she has a school to run now. Maybe when I get to see it again, I'll count the number of grumpy Spike faces? XD

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

1 hour ago, RulesofRarity said:

Something relatively minor but something I appreciated nevertheless, was them altering Twilight's magic aura in the flashback as a callback(?) to the lighter magic auras in S1. Little things like that are always heartwarming however small they are.

Just found the episode online and took a screenshot 

 

You are absolutely right. Her aura is Season 1 color and she is shorter with a shorter horn! I only noticed she had no wings when I saw it on TV. Good eye! The animators really nailed this callback! So nice to see Unicorn Twilight again for a comparison of how far she has come and still fits into the lesson because Twilight is still flawed all these years later. I guess her horn aura got darker as she gained more magical ability.

[ChB 18,532]

Eh, it was okay. Has nice callbacks and sends a great message, but mixed with unnecessary meanness to force a plot. I would expect the new librarian to help mitigate Twilight's fears, not reinforce it.

[Dark Qiviut 22,160]

In the middle of Act 2. One thing I’m liking so far about it is how it doesn’t fall into the Twilighting phase (as fun as it is). She’s rightfully upset for believing her extreme tardiness of a very important book got her fired, but she immediately went to work to try to do something right. That said, the fact that she keeps herself occupied in the retirement home (and happily) makes for a nice twist.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

13 minutes ago, Truffles said:

Another episode I loved. There were a few pacing issues, but otherwise a really fun romp through memory lane.

 

Yeah, that was really freaky. Not sure what it was a reference to, if anything.

 

I wouldn't say she ruined Dusty's life - even though she thinks she did for most of this episode. Her forgetting to return the book turned out to be the best thing that happened to Dusty.

 

That moment was a nice surprise and great bit of character growth for Twilight. She took the lesson from "Amending Fences" and didn't hesitate to apply it here. That alone is enough to make this the best G.M. Berrow episode to date.

 

Not quite - he didn't have any lines in episode 2, since he was zombified the whole time. Cathy Weseluck's name didn't even appear in the credits for that one. However, he still did appear, so it counts towards not being forgotten in any episode so far.

@FlareGun45 must be very happy that the curse of Spike's odd-numbered seasons where he either gets poorly written or barely gets airtime (in just 5 episodes this season, he's appeared more than he did for the entirety of S7) is finally broken.

 

I was a bit worried when I heard the premise that the Twilight freak-outs would start to get stale. But the way the episode plays out, that never happens. When it's revealed Dusty was "fired" because of that book, Twilight had a right to be concerned that she was to blame. But the episode switches things up and instead of Twilight continuing to worry about herself, she immediately gets concerned over the librarian. Spike still tries to reassure her, but in a way that's balanced and sensible. (And even he has a few moments of panic when it comes to the fines and other ramifications of her never returning the book.) Berrow's best work using dialogue to express the mood, hands down.

 

I was very happy to see baby Spike again in the family photo. Seems like everyone' working on the series is finally on the same page that Spike did indeed exist between the times of his hatching and Twilight leaving for Ponyville.

 

A minor gripe I have is the pacing changes so abruptly between the first two acts and the third act. In the former, the visual gags, Easter eggs, and funny dialogue come in rapid-fire succession. The third act slows that pace considerably, and feels more like a typical Berrow episode. I was really enjoying the adrenaline rush, and felt its lack of presence when it stopped. Like I said, no biggie, but I would have liked to see the pace slow more gradually than it did. But why complain about perfection in an episode where that's the moral? XD

Also, after last week's episode, hearing Twilight refer to Spike as "best companion" just reminded me of how he really wants to be thought of. I imagine there are technical reasons why she didn't refer to him as "L.B.B.B.F" since all these scripts are written in parallel, but that was the only other jarring aspect I experienced while watching this one.

 

This really did feel like a nice followup to that episode. If they had had Moondancer tag along during the search it would have made it even better!

 

I'm dubious that that is the reason why they didn't appear. They could have appeared and not had any dialogue if they were concerned about Caucasian actors playing ethnic roles . I don't think anyone could argue showing other cultures wearing colorful outfits in a non-human fantasy setting is somehow insulting. (Heck, we even got Derpy speaking again in this episode.) My guess is there wasn't time to include them since they had so many Easter egg pony assets they had to create.

On a side note, I'm thoroughly impressed with Spike's knowledge of naan (and giggling over how he just assumed the role of waiter without even putting up a fight, lol). It would make sense since he's the castle cook and likely has to prepare appropriate meals for visiting dignitaries who come to see the Castle of Friendship.

 

Huh. I didn't get that impression. He was just trying to prevent a lot of time being wasted since she has a school to run now. Maybe when I get to see it again, I'll count the number of grumpy Spike faces? XD

Yes it would have been great if Moon Dancer had more scenes! Exactly! As I said in my previous comment, the lack of Coriander and Marsala was more likely due to production demands or the voice actors being unavailable rather than PC plus it was established in "Spice Up Your Life" that the 2 of them stay in the Kitchen to cook more often. MLP staff could always re cast them if they want Indian voice actors for better representation of minorities, since MLP has done a ton of recasting over all these seasons, Sombra included.  I was just wanting to see Marsala and Coriander again so badly!! I was impressed with Spike's knowledge of cultural foods as well. Spike should have a job there if/when he needs extra bits! 

Edited April 27, 2019 by StitchandMLPlover

[Nas 2,863]

Firstly, I think this was one of the funniest episodes ever. (At least in terms of all S1-4, and bits of 5-8) Twilight and Spike at their funniest, and Twilight at her cutest.

The montages were probably meant for padding out the length of the episode, and I felt they were kind of pointless. Was great to see a S1E1 flashback and Moondancer again but I'm a little confused as to why they said Dusty was forced out when she wasn't. Though perhaps it could've been just a rumor. The actual reason why she left makes for a great moral to this episode. Really feels like an early season ep with Twilight being cutely nervous over something that turns out to be a simple happy solution in the end. Really enjoyed this one!

[Sparklefan1234 161,633]

This episode was "okay", IMO.

 

The Point of No Return Episode Spoilers

 

Spoiler

Twilight being worried about Dusty Pages was nice, but the montages of Spike & Twilight looking for her seemed to drag on forever, IMO. 

I *really* liked seeing Moon Dancer again & it was also nice to see Minuette & Lemon Hearts in the background.

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by Sparklefan1234

[FlareGun45 2,221]

26 minutes ago, Truffles said:

 

@FlareGun45 must be very happy that the curse of Spike's odd-numbered seasons where he either gets poorly written or barely gets airtime (in just 5 episodes this season, he's appeared more than he did for the entirety of S7) is finally broken.

Let's not jump to conclusions yet, Truffles! It takes more than just him appearing all the time, or just have one time in the spotlight for it to be an awesome season for him!  What I'm really looking for is a satisfied conclusion for him! His family problem is solved, but there's a few important things he needs before the satisfaction can happen! What's everything he's done and put up with gonna lead to in the end for him? That's my question!

No more theories or headcanons though. Just gonna wait and see what how his entire story arc fits together which leads to his potential destiny, whatever it may be or who he's gonna be with, no details yet! All I know... is that something's coming for him!

[FlareGun45 2,221]

https://www.derpibooru.org/2024401?q=Shining+Armor

They've been REALLY pushing the "Spike is part of the Sparkle family" thing out there this season! This is the third time this season it happened! XD

Don't get me wrong though, I ain't complaining! :3