Ranking the 11th episodes

[KH7672 1,604]

Time for the 11th episodes and we've got another mixed bag here but maybe more of a positive mix with only a few easy low decisions but we'll see how the opinions fair out:

1. Student Counsel- It's the characters that as absolutely propell this one to the top. Starlight is fantastic, Trixie is fun, Maud is hilarious, Sunburst and Mudbriar have their moments. Even Silverstream and Terramar bring great additions and accentuate the lesson. Yes the montage is dull, but I can easily overlook it.

2. Winter Wrap Up- This was tough to not put at the top but thinking back to it, nothing really stuck out at me beyond the amazing ensemble song and Twilight messing up and screaming almost the rest of the episode. Still have to give it high praise for solid narrative and a great ending to it all.

3. Three's a Crowd- Discord is best Discord when the story let's him run loose and not have to be a moral player. I still do love this episode because of the witty-ness of it, plus Cadence got some well earned screentime. And of course I can't forget "Glass of Water" the best fast paced song the has given.

4. Hearth's Warming Eve- An enjoyable lore building story with a lot of good lines in throughout especially in the pairing of Applejack as Smart Cookie and Pinkie as Chancellor Puddinghead. It works well for solid entertainment but may still be one of the weaker Christmas episodes for me just because of the simple general-ness but not bad at all.

5. Just for Sidekicks- A fun Spike story mostly boosted by the appearances and characterization of all the animals, especially Angel Bunny, and I'll admit there's definitely a Crusaders bias in there for their supporting roles.

6. Party Pooped- It's just a great Pinkie episode. Especially with the reveal of the party cave giving her much needed depth. Plus I enjoyed the trip to Yakyakistan segments, and wasn't really too bothered by the yaks themselves.

7. Not Asking for Trouble- The sequel to "Party Pooped" and for me just as equally entertaining but only slightly less so as the momentum of the story kind of grinds to a halt in the second act.

8. Molt Down- I like Spike's progress throughout this episode, and I really loved the characterization we get with Smolder too and how she handles the whole situation is great. Seeing Zecora is nice and I'm not as turned off by Rarity shouting the whole time, even finding it really funny at points.

9. Flutter Brutter- Okay let me clarify a few things. Like "Look Before You Sleep" being my lowest before I actually really like this episode, but I like the others more. Zephyr is only bad at moments, Rainbow Dash is hilarious to watch here, and I still liked Fluttershy at this point just because they painted such a great picture of how she would be the voice of her family and it works. It's just the rest of these episodes work more for me.

Edited October 3, 2019 by KH7672

[Moonlight 7,287]

Winter Wrap Up, it's actually the episode I have the fondest memories of in the entire show and it still holds up on later viewings

[Will Guide 21,362]

If you know anything about my struggles and fear of failure, you know my favorite episode on this list is Flutter Brutter. And while I know a lot of people can't stand Zephyr Breeze's behavior, he was the surprisingly relatable character that put this episode in the top 5 most personal episodes. Fear of failure and the temptation to take the easy way out is something a lot of us can relate to. But it's because of Zephyr Breeze, his episode and his song that I finally got the courage to finish University.

In terms of Fluttershy episodes, this is the peak that in my opinion was never matched by any of her later episodes. She wants Zephyr to succeed but doesn't take any of his nonsense. And Rainbow Dash, despite not standing Zephyr's advances on her, shows she wants him to succeed as much as Fluttershy does. 

The only part I didn't like or relate to was Zephyr ruining his parents cloud collection and garden. But considering it's the lowest point of the episode, the Episode ranks very high overall. I still see Zephyr Breeze as offscreen having taken a job as Mane Stylist in the Crystal Empire like in this fanfiction where he interacts with Sunburst over mutual feelings of once believing they would never amount to anything, but has move up in the world and are better stallions for it

[Sparklefan1234 171,963]

"Winter Wrap Up", "Party Pooped" & "Molt Down" are my favorite "eleventh episodes". 

 

Honorable Mention goes to "Just For Sidekicks" since it was the first episode I watched after I caught up with the series. 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Sparklefan1234

[Cash In 22,456]

1. Winter Wrap-Up (S1) - This episode is a classic and for damn good reason. There's so much charm here. The pacing is great and song is wonderful.
2. Flutter Brutter (S6) - Zephyr Breeze is a bit of an ass, but I can somewhat relate to him. I enjoyed this quite a lot.
3. Hearth's Warming Eve (S2) - Like Winter-Wrap Up, this is a classic for good reasoning. It's charming and the world building is fantastic.
4. Molt Down (S8) - Defining episode for Spike and they actually made it work well. I liked the humour and it gave Smoulder some substance.
5. Student Counsel (S9) - Pretty good overall. This one made me like Silverstream quite a lot.
6. Party Pooped (S5) - It's decent.
7. Three's a Crowd (S4) - Fine. Cadence was very underutilised, so I'm glad they gave her something here. Discord's song was the best part of the episode.
8. Just for Sidekicks (S3) - Meh. It has a few good moments.
9. Not Asking for Trouble (S7) - I had to search this one up, because I didn't remember it. Thank god, because I didn't like this one.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Cash_In

[Here No Longer 5,276]

1. Hearth's Warming Eve
2. Winter Wrap-Up 
3. Not Asking for Trouble
4. Molt Down
5. Party Pooped
6. Flutter Brutter
7. Student Counsel 
8. Three's a Crowd (Still better than Power Ponies, but a definite stain on the otherwise great 4th season)
9. Just for Sidekicks

Edited October 3, 2019 by Angus Delaney

[Rushing cash 836]

1. Flutter brutter 10\10
2. Three is a crowd 9\10
3. Student counsel 9\10
4. Hearts warming eve 8\10
5. Winter wrap up 8\10
6. Molt down 7\10
7. Just for sideckicks 6\10
8. Party pooped 4\10
9. Not asking for trouble 3\10

[ChB 18,557]

Three-way tie for me:

1. Winter Wrap-Up

2. Hearth’s Warming Eve

3. Flutter Brutter

But, since I could only vote for one, I picked HWE, because the lore makes it something I can watch multiple times.

[Sepul-Coloratura 762]

1. Winter Wrap Up : A. What special about this episode is the details of everyday (or a special day) that Ponyville and the community goes through, and how Twilight fits in. This episode is when it feels like she is truly part of Ponyville. And as about her individual experience, she is more and more comfortable about the leader role. I almost forget Twilight is actually cute, and this episode is one of what reminds me that.

2. Flutter Brutter : B+. I really despise Zephyr Breeze, but I sympathize with the m**er f***er. I don't even like the song, but it all felt uncomfortably consoling because the message was too specifically for my situation at the time. I hated this episode when I first watched it, but it's actually a good episode.

3. Student Counsel : B+. It feels like a fanservice episode with lots of things happening. It is a fun ride, but the whole thing isn't consistent and tight enough to be an A for me. And the characters are only for what they can be so far, they are displayed superficially and not deeply intertwined with the story. This episode also feels like it could have been a good Twilight episode and the lesson feels very possible for Twilight to learn. Starlight never struck me as a workaholic or a diligent pony, she would always find a detour to fix things quicker, while Twilight did felt like the only thing that could bother her friendship was her work at that time.

4. Hearth's Warming Eve : B. An interesting point of view. Because of the characters are not themselves and being played by others instead, it helps us connecting with them with familar faces. The downside is also that they are not themselves.

5. Three's a Crowd B-. Cadence being awsome and Discord being a troll, but somewhat underwhelming for that. Similar feeling I have with Flim Flam brothers episode. We already know who's bull****ting from the beginning.

6. Not Asking for Trouble : B-. Yaks always feels like a part of a forced storyline where they are there to make problems. That's usually Pinkie's role and this time she's been pushed out to take the helping role. Pinkie learns and respects Yak's culture and that's admirable.

7. Just for Sidekicks : C. Spike being Spike in a wrong way. An interconnected episode, but not much merit from that. One more thing, Rarity gave Spike the smallest gem because she knew him so well snd knew what was going on.

8. Party Pooped : C. Yaks just make no sense. But the second half where Pinkie disappears are pure gold. If the whole episode was just as good as that, this might have been an A+.

9. Molt Down : D. Spike gets wings. As if I would care. Too late to be relevant, uninspired story, milking out of the character and capitalizing fandom expectations in a bland way.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Sepul-Coloratura

[bigbertha 414]

1. Hearths Warming Eve- To be honest I'm not completely sure why I love this episode so much. No matter why, It's definitely hilarious and a nice way to show more of the show's lore (10/10)

2. Just For Sidekicks- A karma trip done really well. Also it gets extra points for having Spike and CMC interaction, something I wish the show did more of (9/10)

3. Student Council- The first half is really great with an interesting conflict between Starlight and Trixie, but the second half meanders around too much for the episode as a whole to be any better (8/10)

4. Winter Wrap Up- This is a very charming episode, but there's not much else to it (6/10)

5. Flutter Brutter- I don't think they quite nailed Zephyr's character in a sense of making the audience empathize with him, but he is entertaining (6/10)

6. Party Pooped- There are a couple good jokes during Pinkie's journey, but not that many (5/10)

7. Not Asking For Trouble- Just a pretty dull episode (5/10)

8. Mold Down- Also a very dull episode, except this one's kinda annoying with all the shouting (5/10)

9. Three's a Crowd- A karma trip done very wrong since Twilight does nothing to deserve Discord's obnoxiousness. Also the pacing is atrocious and nothing is funny aside from the song, which isn't even that good (2/10)

[Thrond 3,263]

I like almost all of these. 

1. Party Pooped - Honestly this is one of the few times I've actually kinda liked Twilight having a government position, because watching her and her friends freak out about diplomacy is a real change of pace from what the show usually offers. I like that this tries its hand at cultural relativism, something the show would slowly improve at over the next few seasons, and I also just find the general vibe here, which is both tense and goofy at the same time, to be a lot of fun. 
2. Molt Down - I'm still impressed by how bluntly this takes on puberty. It doesn't conceal it in metaphor like the early CMC stuff; no, there's Spike dealing with changes to his body as he grows older. I love the improved season 8 worldbuilding, with all the horrible dragon puberty rituals, and it's great that they're finally telling this story once the friendship school has brought other dragons to Ponyville. Also this is really funny. 
3. Winter Wrap Up - Kinda elevated by a great song, because there's not a whole lot going on here, but there's something charming about the general atmosphere here, and unlike most season 1 stories, nobody's acting like a jerk. There's also some nice little funny moments, like Rarity getting obsessed with Twilight's awful bird nest. I think this is about where season 1 really comes together. 
4. Three's a Crowd - This is a particularly bad offender for making Discord seem like a jerk, as it's before most of his character development, but I always enjoy his absurdity. And I have a soft spot for Cadance, who's just so sweet in this while also showing off some fighting prowess. I really wish the show had developed her more, because she never really developed tangible flaws or hobbies, but this is a fun episode nonetheless. 
5. Hearth's Warming Eve - I find it a little questionable that the historical figures in the play are so similar to the mane six personality-wise, this is still pretty fun - a good moment of worldbuilding before the show started taking that so seriously. The upside of having the mane six just playing themselves is that their lovable personalities come through, and so we get a bunch of funny moments, especially from Pinkie Pie, who I can only imagine was the first pony to understand that the earth is round. 
6. Flutter Brutter - I find Zephyr Breeze really funny, but the sheer scale of his bad deeds doesn't quite seem to fit the moral. What does fear of failure have to do with smashing his dad's cloud collection? Nonetheless, it is a good moral, and Fluttershy's role in this is still phenomenal. She's standing up for herself for once, but it doesn't feel like a big difference, because she still has the sensitivity and gentleness that defines her. That is what this show's character development ought to feel like. 
7. Not Asking for Trouble - I honestly barely remember this, but I do remember it being kinda funny. 
8. Just for Sidekicks - This is mostly just a rehash of "Secret of My Excess," with even more contrivances and a lot less buildup to Spike being greedy, but I still think it's a lot of fun. Even the contrivances are fairly creative. 
9. Student Counsel - This is the only one I don't really like, but it has a lot of funny moments and a good moral. My problem is that the adventuring in the Everfree Forest just seems overly convoluted to me, and I found it kinda tiresome even though there were great jokes like Maud drooling over Mudbriar being turned into a statue. And at the end it kinda seems like everything in this episode only happened because everyone was an idiot. 

[Landi 600]

1. Flutter Brutter

2. Hearth's Warming Eve

3. Winter Wrap Up

4. Three's a Crowd

5. Student Council

6. Molt Down

7. Not Asking for Trouble

8. Party Pooped

9. Just for Sidekicks

[Oleks 1,993]

1. Winter Wrap Up – one of the show’s defining episodes, a classic of classics, and generally a very good episode.
2-5. Hearth's Warming Eve, Three's a Crowd, Molt Down, Student Counsel – I really can’t rate one these over the others, I love all of them. The lore mine, the action and references, the true princess Spike episode with an interesting set of characters, and a fun non-Mane Six adventure – all are simply great.
6-7. Party Pooped, Flutter Brutter – solid episodes that introduced some peculiar characters.
8. Not Asking for Trouble – I think this one could have been more interesting, but maybe I don’t understand Yak culture. 
9. Just for Sidekicks – I don’t like that Spike’s bribing everypony the whole episode and then gets away with everything.

[DonMaguz 1,023]

'Student Counsel' by far, the most realistic set of friends this show has had.

'Three's a Crowd' is my second favorite.

[Megas 27,742]

1) Winter Wrap Up - One of those episodes that's kinda hard to explain why its so good. A great song as well as an interesting showcase how the show's world and its weather works
2) Flutter Brutter - Left me conflicted, Zephyr himself is awful and ruins the episode, but everything else is really good, especially Fluttershy, one of her best appearances
3) Molt Down - Could have used more oomf, but a solid Spike episode that shake's up his character a bit with a new appendage
4) Student Counsel - Starlight and her own group are fun, not really much to add
5) Party Pooped - Pinkie's adventure is hilarious, but it introduced the yaks, who are still among one of the show's worst additions
6) Just for Sidekicks - Angel being a dick is still funny, but otherwise it's just a meaner version of Secret of my Excess, which isn't as funny
7) Hearth's Warming Eve - First HWE episode and still the weakest imo. Never liked it when it first aired, hated the beginning and end, the ending to the play was really corny, even by the show's standards
8) Not Asking for Trouble - Reintroduces the Yaks, they aren't as bad as their first appearance, but they still aren't that good
9) Three's a Crowd - Probably the start of "Discord is reformed but still a prick to everyone just because", at least it isn't as bad as other episodes since he actually gets his comeuppance here, but after what later seasons have done with him it's really hard to go back too

[Astralshy 27,089]

My list with a clear winner  Somehow I expect it will also be the first one in the poll by many (I'm gonna see in a moment :>) 

1. Winter Wrap Up 
2. Hearth's Warming Eve
3. Three's a Crowd 
4. Molt Down
5. Party Pooped 
6. Not Asking for Trouble
7. Student Counsel
8. Just for Sidekicks 
9. Flutter Brutter 

 

 

[bigbertha 414]

1. Hearth's Warming Eve

2. Flutter Brutter

3. Molt Down

4. Winter Wrap Up

5. Just For Sidekicks

6. Party Pooped

7. Student Counsel

8. Not Asking For Trouble

9. Three's a Crowd