S09:E08 - Frenemies

[Adamgreen 1,129]

Great episode. Enough said lol

(I would talk alot about this episode, but I'll save it for later lol)

Edited May 19, 2019 by Adamgreen
Added reasoning

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

This ep is a dream. I don't want to wake up, it just too good. The villain chemistry in this ep can make some few regular ponies episode can feel JEALOUS, they are just so much fun together. The song is the first actual great song of season 9, so fun to watch and so pleasant to listen, I can listen to it all day. Chrysalis is very competent in this ep, her cruelty is top-notch, I wonder what will happen the creature she has captured in this ep... Tirek is goofy in this ep, not in the bad ways, though, I love when he roasting Cozy. And I love Cozy Glow, she glued 2 greatest villain together, this demon child just has so many potentials, I want to see her more before this season ends. Grogar is a bit oblivious in this ep, I thought he has that ball-thing to see everything, how can he not know those three stole his bell? Maybe it's a part of his plan too...

Thanks Mike for bringing us another gold tier episode, you made my day again.

 

Mike's gold-tier episode (written solely by himself), from best to worst: 

#1  Best Gift Ever

#2  A Hearth's Warming Tail

#3 What Lies Beneath

#4 Freenemies <------- Yep, this is a good spot

#5 The mean 6

The only I dislike about this ep is the title, does it count?

 

[Truffles 2,033]

A great episode. One of the things I loved about it is while the writing is excellent, it's really the delivery by the VA's that really make the jokes magical. Maybe even these particular VA's best work to date.

The premise in the TV Guide threw me off a bit. By the sound of it, I thought it was going to take place entirely in The Legion of Doom and Grogar would be the one trying to reverse his plans and put a stop to them working together after seeing them turn from bad to good. But the way it played out was a wonderful surprise. Rusty Bucket is up there for most endearing random character. XD

I loved the song. It's probably better than last week's, but after hearing "Fit Right In" again just before this episode I have to say it gets better each time. One thing that's a bit of a problem for "Better Way to be Bad" is I keep switching over to the Itchy & Scratchy theme in my head because the melodies and rhythms are somewhat similar, lol.

One thing the new song has done is made me wish Chrysalis had gotten to sing in all her appearances. I had forgotten what a wonderful singing voice she has, and this took me right back to "This Day."

There were two total LOL moments for me in the episode that stand out above all the other jokes: The giant snowball hitting and carrying Cozy away was hilarious (including Rusty's cold shoulder reaction, lol), and Chrysalis resorting to deep personal insults and referring to Starlight as a "sow" out of the blue. XD

Cozy refers to her talent as having the ability to make others do what she wants them to, and that was interesting in that that's what Diamond said about herself right after she realized what her real talent was in "Crusaders of the Lost Mark:"

"Obviously I've known since I got my cutie mark that my talent is getting other ponies to do what I want."

And now she uses that talent to organize plans that help others. Seems like Cozy Glow could learn a thing or two from Diamond. It'd be a great if those two could have an episode together as a comparison between the before-and-after. Though with the path Cozy, Chrysalis, and Tirek are on now, that seems like a long shot.

The callbacks to the previous failures, the creatures like the cragodile and roc, and even the somewhat unsettling details of why Chrysalis cocoons everyone she feeds off of was pretty nifty to see!

 

3 hours ago, ImpctR said:

Moar world building

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Equestrian version of "The Throat of the World!" Though I doubt Paarthurnax (or any other dragon) is busy being philosophical up there. XD

[Adamgreen 1,129]

4 minutes ago, Truffles said:

A great episode. One of the things I loved about it is while the writing is excellent, it's really the delivery by the VA's that really make the jokes magical. Maybe even these particular VA's best work to date.

The premise in the TV Guide threw me off a bit. By the sound of it, I thought it was going to take place entirely in The Legion of Doom and Grogar would be the one trying to reverse his plans and put a stop to them working together after seeing them turn from bad to good. But the way it played out was a wonderful surprise. Rusty Bucket is up there for most endearing random character. XD

 I loved the song. It's probably better than last week's, but after hearing "Fit Right In" again just before this episode I have to say it gets better each time. One thing that's a bit of a problem for "Better Way to be Bad" is I keep switching over to the Itchy & Scratchy theme in my head because the melodies and rhythms are somewhat similar, lol.

 One thing the new song has done is made me wish Chrysalis had gotten to sing in all her appearances. I had forgotten what a wonderful singing voice she has, and this took me right back to "This Day."

There were two total LOL moments for me in the episode that stand out above all the other jokes: The giant snowball hitting and carrying Cozy away was hilarious (including Rusty's cold shoulder reaction, lol), and Chrysalis resorting to deep personal insults and referring to Starlight as a "sow" out of the blue. XD

Cozy refers to her talent as having the ability to make others do what she wants them to, and that was interesting in that that's what Diamond said about herself right after she realized what her real talent was in "Crusaders of the Lost Mark:"

"Obviously I've known since I got my cutie mark that my talent is getting other ponies to do what I want."

And now she uses that talent to organize plans that help others. Seems like Cozy Glow could learn a thing or two from Diamond. It'd be a great if those two could have an episode together as a comparison between the before-and-after. Though with the path Cozy, Chrysalis, and Tirek are on now, that seems like a long shot.

The callbacks to the previous failures, the creatures like the cragodile and roc, and even the somewhat unsettling details of why Chrysalis cocoons everyone she feeds off of was pretty nifty to see!

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Equestrian version of "The Throat of the World!" Though I doubt Paarthurnax (or any other dragon) is busy being philosophical up there. XD

That's basically how I feel about that episode perfectly lol

I just love their bonding moments, even though they are villains, you can feel some genuine emotions behind their wickedness ^^

[bwrosas 252]

10 minutes ago, Truffles said:

A great episode. One of the things I loved about it is while the writing is excellent, it's really the delivery by the VA's that really make the jokes magical. Maybe even these particular VA's best work to date.

The premise in the TV Guide threw me off a bit. By the sound of it, I thought it was going to take place entirely in The Legion of Doom and Grogar would be the one trying to reverse his plans and put a stop to them working together after seeing them turn from bad to good. But the way it played out was a wonderful surprise. Rusty Bucket is up there for most endearing random character. XD

I loved the song. It's probably better than last week's, but after hearing "Fit Right In" again just before this episode I have to say it gets better each time. One thing that's a bit of a problem for "Better Way to be Bad" is I keep switching over to the Itchy & Scratchy theme in my head because the melodies and rhythms are somewhat similar, lol.

One thing the new song has done is made me wish Chrysalis had gotten to sing in all her appearances. I had forgotten what a wonderful singing voice she has, and this took me right back to "This Day."

There were two total LOL moments for me in the episode that stand out above all the other jokes: The giant snowball hitting and carrying Cozy away was hilarious (including Rusty's cold shoulder reaction, lol), and Chrysalis resorting to deep personal insults and referring to Starlight as a "sow" out of the blue. XD

Cozy refers to her talent as having the ability to make others do what she wants them to, and that was interesting in that that's what Diamond said about herself right after she realized what her real talent was in "Crusaders of the Lost Mark:"

"Obviously I've known since I got my cutie mark that my talent is getting other ponies to do what I want."

And now she uses that talent to organize plans that help others. Seems like Cozy Glow could learn a thing or two from Diamond. It'd be a great if those two could have an episode together as a comparison between the before-and-after. Though with the path Cozy, Chrysalis, and Tirek are on now, that seems like a long shot.

The callbacks to the previous failures, the creatures like the cragodile and roc, and even the somewhat unsettling details of why Chrysalis cocoons everyone she feeds off of was pretty nifty to see!

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Equestrian version of "The Throat of the World!" Though I doubt Paarthurnax (or any other dragon) is busy being philosophical up there. XD

Spoiler

Grogar knows what's happened, and he's setting the villians up, and by the time we head towards the finale, he will reveal to them that he knew and was on to them the whole time, and will demonstrate by retrieving his bell from where they hid it.

 

[Truffles 2,033]

Just now, bwrosas said:

  Hide contents

Grogar knows what's happened, and he's setting the villians up, and by the time we head towards the finale, he will reveal to them that he knew and was on to them the whole time, and will demonstrate by retrieving his bell from where they hid it.

 

He's better, especially with that palantir of his. It will be a disappointment in the finale if he's written as clueless to its new whereabouts.

[qwerE 95]

The best villain episode ever.

The 'villain 3' (or some better name for those 3 that people gave) were cute and hillarious! I'm looking forward to seeing their episodes as much as the episodes for the mane 6.

Up until now, I honestly didn't care as much about the villains than I did about the mane 6 and their friends. I really like the writers' approach of giving the villains their own regular episodes, instead of just the finales and the premeres they'd been getting all along. This really tells us much more about their personalities, and makes them feel much more like an individual being rather than a generic antagonist.

I really wonder what the villain 3's next plan will be. My guess on the story is probably that they'll try to fight Twilight on their own without Grogar and fail, but learn about the magic of friendship in the process and become Twilight's friends, then fight Grogar as a team with the mane 6 in the finale.

[Ganondox 899]

4 hours ago, Will Guide said:

I believe one of the members called it a

  Hide contents

Lamia with a bull head

 

The proper name for such a creature is Ophiotaurus. 

[Rixton 1,105]

This episode was the best so far in this season I guess. Maybe (the possible upcoming) betrayal by Grogar will be the ultimate redemption of this three? However...dunno what will be with Sombra.

[DonMaguz 1,023]

8 hours ago, Lambdadelta said:

The only I dislike about this ep is the title, does it count?

Yes, 'Frenemies' doesn't tell me much about the villain trio. When I first saw the title (and I don't read synopsis to avoid spoilers), I thought this was going to be a Twilight/Trixie episode.

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

I'd be fine with Chrysalis, Tirek, Cozy Glow and Sombra becoming Equestria's version of the Suicide Squad.

[Props Valroa 26,046]

I watched it again, really these characters are a good combination. I can tell that they are not entirely evil, and would likely reform on their own, hopefully. I don't want the mane 6 ruining them like they did with Chrysalis's hive.

[TransitPony 219]

Very great episode here. One thing that's clear here is that neither Glow, Chrysalis and Tirek don't trust Grogar. They're planning something big to have to themselves. I'm guessing they're either gonna team up with Grogar first before betraying him or they're just gonna screw him over and fight the Mane Six themselves. 

[Hierok 11,829]

Especially Tirek was amazing in this episode, but they all were adorable to watch. 

[Rixton 1,105]

1 hour ago, TransitPony said:

Very great episode here. One thing that's clear here is that neither Glow, Chrysalis and Tirek don't trust Grogar. They're planning something big to have to themselves. I'm guessing they're either gonna team up with Grogar first before betraying him or they're just gonna screw him over and fight the Mane Six themselves. 

I believe, there is a change that they will reform, since they get a very small demonstration of friendship.

[YoshiAngemon 223]

30 minutes ago, Rixton said:

I believe, there is a change that they will reform, since they get a very small demonstration of friendship.

I think they could turn on Grogar and reform anyway, like the Monstars did to Swackhammer in Space Jam.

[RDDash 18,866]

Any chance that if the villain would show any form of kindness then that means they are about to get reformed. I am pretty sure they could kill of one or two villains that refuse to reform.

[FearTheBelle 55]

That was a fantastic episode; the writers really need to tell us why Cozy is how she is at some point, though. We know what Tirek and Chrysalis are about, but we really don't know what motivates Cozy beyond vague aspirations for power and authority. Even her talent, which seems to be being manipulative, is odd for a pony. How does a pony get a mark in something such as that?

[Oleks 1,983]

I wish someone wrote a fanfic about the events in Grogar's lair from the perspective of Chryssy's Log. 

[Props Valroa 26,046]

I am quite curious about the backstories of the characters involved. We don't know the whole story.

[Senko 459]

There was just something about Tirek's voice in this episode that sounded off to me.

That said plenty of interesting little details. . .

 

1) Chrysalis talking to the remains of Mean Twilight.

2) The fact Grogar does have two colour magic (Black and gold).

3) The way villains even when working together stab each other in the back.

4) The way Cozy got steadily more aggravated at a pony not doing what she wanted and Tirek saying its nice to see her showing her real self for a change.

5) That moment "Working is together is nice, I like having . . . WHAT AM I SAYING?!"

6) Rusty Bucket having a copy of the journal and wanting a friend poor guy.

7) The worrying implications of Grogar's power if Gusty could hide his bell on that mountain behind a shield that powerful and still not stand against him directly.

All in all a nice episode.

1 hour ago, FearTheBelle said:

That was a fantastic episode; the writers really need to tell us why Cozy is how she is at some point, though. We know what Tirek and Chrysalis are about, but we really don't know what motivates Cozy beyond vague aspirations for power and authority. Even her talent, which seems to be being manipulative, is odd for a pony. How does a pony get a mark in something such as that?

Probably the same way Flim and Flam or Gladmane did.

Edited May 19, 2019 by Senko

[FearTheBelle 55]

Just now, Senko said:

There was just something about Tirek's voice in this episode that sounded off to me.

That said plenty of interesting little details. . .

 

1) Chrysalis talking to the remains of Mean Twilight.

2) The fact Grogar does have two colour magic (Black and gold).

3) The way villains even when working together stab each other in the back.

4) The way Cozy got steadily more aggravated at a pony not doing what she wanted and Tirek saying its nice to see her showing her real self for a change.

5) That moment "Working is together is nice, I like having . . . WHAT AM I SAYING?!"

6) Rusty Bucket having a copy of the journal and wanting a friend poor guy.

7) The worrying implications of Grogar's power if Gusty could hide his bell on that mountain behind a shield that powerful and still not stand against him directly.

All in all a nice episode.

Probably the same way Flim and Flam or Gladmane did.

Not sure that I agree that Flim and Flam's talents have anything to do with manipulation. It is more that conning is just what they chose to do.Their cutie marks are apple-based.

[Senko 459]

1 minute ago, FearTheBelle said:

Not sure that I agree that Flim and Flam's talents have anything to do with manipulation. It is more that conning is just what they chose to do.Their cutie marks are apple-based.

Perhaps but on the other hoof everything they do is a con even if its legitimate "Split the profits 70-30", the high roller hustle, the dolls, the empty arena. We never see them do anything that actually involves apples these day's not since the cider squeezy so either they're ignoring their special talent or it's like rarity with her cutie mark being gems but signifying fashion.

[Sonic5421 423]

I had to catch the episode today as I missed its debut yesterday due to being down at Motor City Comic Con at the time. Despite that, I am impressed by what happened with our three non-reformed villains when they were assigned to retrieve Grogar's bell that would restore him to full power.

Of course, I did not expect Chrysalis would still, off-camera of course, have the ability to cocoon her victims herself since she did not have the Swarm to do that anymore after the Season 6 finale, which she did bring up when Cozy referenced it. Still, their teamwork to retrieve the bell was impressive, but I figured as much that, once they realized that the Magic of Friendship started to kick in, they quickly repulsed it, focusing more on taking down Grogar before dealing with each other and their vendettas against Equestria, the Mane Six, and the Royal Family, knowing they would not stand a chance against him if he regains his full power through his bell.

So overall, I'll give this episode an 8, 8.5 out of 10 for what I was impressed with regarding the villains. Let's see how this affects things later on in the season before we reach the series finale.

[Sparklefan1234 161,880]

8 hours ago, Califorum said:

I watched it again, really these characters are a good combination. I can tell that they are not entirely evil, and would likely reform on their own, hopefully. I don't want the mane 6 ruining them like they did with Chrysalis's hive.

 

I feel like this could happen at some point in the future.