Ranking the 15th episodes

[KH7672 1,604]

We're trekking along to episode 15 and by that I mean treading because if you thought 14 was bad it's just as divisive if not worse for 15 with probably two or three easy top picks but the opinions will really come into play for the bottom. Let's get it on!

1. The Hearth's Warming Club- What gives this one the edge over the rest is the students. Their dynamic works so much better when they play off of each other than the Mane 6. I love everything about this episode especially the holiday stories, and while the mystery may not be the most complex the payoff is absolutely worth it for one character in particular.

2. Rarity Investigates!- Yet of course we can't forget an actual mystery episode. This episode is brilliantly structured from the characters, to the suspense, to of course Rarity and Rainbow Dash's interactions. It is wonderful.

3. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000- The original "Flim Flam Brothers" episode and maybe besides some Rainbow Dash mean spiritedness, I still enjoy this episode immensely, especially their song and the final competition.

4. Twilight Time- Switching around the power dynamic of the CMC and Diamond Tiara is fantastic and I love the gradual evolution it goes through. Plus Twilight is so likeably naive at times and yet understandably stern at others when it work great.

5. 28 Pranks Later- It may be dull, it may be gimmicky, it may be retreading old ground, but I won't lie that I'm still thoughly entertained by it. It really is the sudden turns the story takes that keep me invested, from the prank montage to the cookie selling, to the all out zombie invasion. It's easily one to turn your brain off to.

6. Triple Threat- This gets an edge over all the others for all the characters playing off of each other well. Spike may be the only exception due to starting his own problem but he still pulls through and the interaction between Ember and Thorax make up for it.

7. 2, 4, 6, Greaat- Know how the last episode every character except the main one was on point, well let's have that again but instead of just being dumb, let's make that main character unlikeable too. The cheer squad themselves along with Snips is really what keeps this this high but man is Rainbow Dash and even Twilight to an extent horribly frustrating.

8. Feeling Pinkie Keen- And you know this would be another one that works to zone out to expect this one is duller by being the same joke over and over again. Pinkie knows all and Twilight always gets physically reprimanded until she gives in. That's it for the entire episode! I guess the Hydra chase is a little exciting but it still has a weak payoff and conclusion.

[Cash In 21,510]

I would have to hand my vote to Rarity Investigates! I have no real reasons, aside from it being an episode that I enjoyed. The fact that parts were based on film noir definitely made the episode all the more unique. The dynamic between Rarity and Rainbow Dash was interesting, seeing as the two were the combo of the Mane 6 that were fleshed out the least.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

No doubt in my mind. "Rarity Investigates" is one of my very favorite episodes!

[Will Guide 21,325]

If you know me, you know my favorite is automatically any Episode with Thorax in it.

Thorax's adorkable moments in Twilight's chair and his hugging of Spike and Ember are some of his best moments

Plus Thorax does show a more aggressive side when his friend is in trouble.

Plus his talk with Ember where they helped each other be more assertive and empathetic is a beautiful highlight

Ember did have a point: Twilight and Starlight ARE very similar

And Twilight pointing out how the Cutie Map can call on creatures with no cutie marks is a nice bonus.

[Sparklefan1234 161,865]

My favorite 15th episodes are: 

 

The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 by M.A. Larson

 

Feeling Pinkie Keen by Dave Polsky

 

Rarity Investigates! by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco

 

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Sparklefan1234

[Moonlight 7,279]

Rarity Investigates by far, it's always nice to see Rarity and Rainbow hang out

[bigbertha 410]

1. Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000- Flim Flam Brothers episodes never got better than their first. Everything is on point here. The comedy, the story, and that fantastic song (10/10)

2. Triple Threat- It's not really interesting and Spike doesn't really do anything, but it's really funny (8/10)

3. Feeling Pinkie Keen- One of the funniest episodes of the show with a really bad ending (7/10)

4. Rarity Investigates- The second act is what most people remember this episode for since it has all the noir stuff and it's pretty good. Too bad there's another two thirds that are just okay (7/10)

5. The Hearth's Warming Club- The Student Six are boring, but I like Sandbar's story (5/10)

6. Twilight Time- This one is really boring (5/10)

7. 2, 4, 6, Greaat- Also really boring, but it also has a really dumb story (4/10)

8. 28 Pranks Later- I don't know how they screwed this up since they already had a good example of how to do this right with Mare Do Well. All they had to do was make Rainbow funny and not insanely annoying or give her some kind of complexity or relatability. Unfortunately, that didn't happen (1/10)

[Oleks 1,983]

1. Rarity Investigates! – the noir style was definitely not something I had expected to see in MLP, and initially I had mixed feelings about this episode, but it really grew on me over time.
2. 28 Pranks Later – I just like the concept of cookie zombies, don’t judge me.
3-4. Triple Threat, The Hearth's Warming Club – the episodes that explore non-pony characters are almost always very interesting, and these two are no exception.
5-6. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, Twilight Time – both good episodes.
7. 2, 4, 6, Greaaat – I still don’t get the concept of cheerleading. 
8. Feeling Pinkie Keen – I’m not a fan of the implications of the episode’s lesson and the debates they created.  

[Megas 27,064]

1) Rarity Investigates - Rarity and RD finally have an episode together and they’re amazing together. Makes me wish they had more episodes together 

2) Hearths Warming Club - One of the only Student Six Episodes that make them shine without dragging the mane 6 down 

3) Feeling Pinkie Keen - I’m still surprised people still dislike this one a lot, I remember it being one of the first really funny episodes 

4) Twilight Time - The most average of average episodes 

5) Triple Threat - One Of S7s duller episodes

6) SSCS6K - Fuck the Flim Flam Bros

7/8) 28 Pranks Later/246Great - 28 Pranks Later is arguably worse but 246Great pissed me off enough that it made me never want to finish watching the show, especially so late into the game. I'm not gonna try debating which turd was worse because at the end of the day both are turds that exist for the same reason, punish the audience for liking the wrong characters

Edited October 11, 2021 by Megas
Change and elaborate my rankings

[Here No Longer 5,270]

1. Hearth's Warming Club (Really the quality every Hearth's Warming episode should be)

2. Rarity Investigates! (Really like the Noir style. But it was a little too predictable for me)

3. SSCS6K (I think it's a wee bit overrated)

4. Feeling Pinkie Keen (If the moral wasn't bad I'd probably say this is a decent episode with generally great humor)

5. Twilight Time (The very definition of mediocre)

6. Triple Threat (Upon rewatch it goes from mediocre to kind of bad)

7. 28 Pranks Later (Episodes like this are why Dashie is the only Mane Six character I don't like)

8. 2,4, 6, *vomits* (I'm surprised this isn't the worst episode in the show, but Fake It and HtSA exist)

Edited October 9, 2019 by Spider Demon

[Js250476 1,367]

Rarity investigates hoofs down, the noir style coloring the engaging detective story the wonderful interactions and dynamic of Rarity and Rainbow Dash its just a super awesome episode over all and did justice to 2 of my favorite of the Mane 6. 

 

Hearths Warming Club is also worth ah honorable mention.

[Rushing cash 824]

1. Rarity investigates- 9\10, a really good episode, the dynamic between dash and rarity was great.
2. The hearts warming club- 8\10, one of the best student episodes. 
3. The super speedy cider squeezy 6000- 8\10 the episode was alright, it was amusing seeing RD obssessed with cider and pinkie taking trolling her. Also, great song.
4. Triple threat- 7\10
5. Twilight time- 7\10
6. 2,4,6, greaaat- 7\10
7. Feeling pinkie keen- there are some aspects I don't like about this episode but the episode has its moments.
8. 28 pranks later- 5\10, would fit better in season 2 or something.

4-6 are interchangeable.

[cmarston1 5,951]

Out of these episodes, I would have to say that my favorites would be Rarity Investigates and The Hearths Warming Club.

For Rarity Investigates the first thing I really enjoy would be the character dynamic between Rainbow Dash and Rarity.  They surprisingly work really well together, and its a shame that the show rarely explored this.  The other main thing the episode has going for it would be its aesthetic.  It heavily leans into the whole Film Noir style, and it creates a fun and unique atmosphere.  Overall it is a pretty fun and unique episode, even if the twist wasn't too surprising.

For The Hearths Warming Club, I just really enjoyed how it portrayed Gallus's character.  It really helped to make him a much more interesting character, and I wish we could have gotten more episodes like this focusing on the other members of the student six.

[Thrond 3,257]

1. Rarity Investigates - Not sure Rarity has ever been more delightful than she is here, and this suggested a lot of potential for pairing her up with Rainbow Dash in the future. Huge shame that every other time the show did was just a joke about how different their personalities are. I mean, here they seem to get along quite well. And besides, I find this to be one of the funniest episodes in the entire show, and the whole film noir gimmick is just great. 
2. The Hearth's Warming Club - This is super cute, plus Gallus's backstory is one of the more impressively bittersweet things the show has ever done. It caught me completely off guard when I sat that episode, and it was really heartwarming to see his friends stick with him over the winter break. This episode is really sweet. 
3. Feeling Pinkie Keen - This is one of the funniest episodes of the entire show and arguably the funniest of season 1, but I do think it botched the moral. It seems to me that just because you can't deny something doesn't mean you shouldn't try to understand it, and I honestly feel that Twilight was right to be skeptical, at least to a point. Otherwise: terrific. 
4. Triple Threat - This one's kinda clunky in a lot of ways, but I also think it's pretty funny, and honestly I just generally like Ember and Thorax. Watching them become friends at the end was particularly great. And although it seems weird that Spike would make such an obvious scheduling mistake, I do sympathize with his anxiety regarding the huge responsibility suddenly thrust upon him. 
5. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 - This is pretty charming and has a great song but it kinda makes no sense. Clearly the Apples have a supply problem with the cider, and the Flim Flam Brothers have offered a solution, so it seems absurd that they just stubbornly cling to tradition instead of realizing they still need to do something. The Flim-Flam Brothers are pretty sketchy even here, but they kinda have a point. 
6. 28 Pranks Later - I'm pretty annoyed that this features Rainbow at her most immature, to the extent that her friends have to put on an elaborate show just to scare her into not playing dangerous pranks on everyone, but I also think it's kinda funny, and the zombie thing is pretty creative and has some nice atmosphere. 
7. Twilight Time - I find this episode to have a relatively cynical tone, and it has relatively few jokes for this show, so I find it a bit boring; I don't really sympathize with the CMC and I don't find Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon very entertaining, so this just feels like waiting for the CMC to learn their lesson. And it's one of the more notable examples of Twilight being just sort of bland, even with the crazy burger scene, though I will admit that scene is almost worth it. 
8. 2, 4, 6, Greaaat! - This episode is annoying. 

Edited October 9, 2019 by AlexanderThrond
Mixed up "Twilight Time" with "It's About Time"

[KH7672 1,604]

7 hours ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

....which was enough to get me to quit watching S9 entirely

I take it the rest of the rankings for you will be down a number then huh?

And psst @AlexanderThrond you're confusing Twilght Time (The CMC take advantage of Twilight's time mentoring them) with It's About Time (that's coming up soon enough episode 20 I believe)

[Thrond 3,257]

20 minutes ago, KH7672 said:

I take it the rest of the rankings for you will be down a number then huh?

And psst @AlexanderThrond you're confusing Twilght Time (The CMC take advantage of Twilight's time mentoring them) with It's About Time (that's coming up soon enough episode 20 I believe)

Aw shoot, let me correct. 

[Megas 27,064]

1 hour ago, KH7672 said:

I take it the rest of the rankings for you will be down a number then huh?

Yup, though there’s one episode I did end up seeing(and no it wasn’t the finale, which i’m refusing to watch)

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

Well...I'm having a hard time choosing between Rarity Investigates! and 28 Pranks Later. 

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

1. Twilight Time : A-. The only portrayal of princess Twilight that feels like she's a princess in a way that makes sense. CMCs are causing trouble again, but this time it is very likely for many children to do such thing.

2. 28 Pranks Later : B+. Do you think the zombie prank was going too far? Rainbow Dash putting a brick into a sandwich was going too far already.

3. Triple Threat : B+. I can really relate to this situation. The whole 'Spike being Spike' feels more true and believable this time.

4. Feeling Pinkie Keen : B. It's an entertaining episode, but the lesson is the only lesson in MLP that I think is truly toxic. I think it's not just about religion, but it is about abandoning logical, scientific thinking, which I think are essential to human beings. Science is much more profound and fundamental than mixing chemicals in flasks.

5. Rarity Investigates : B-. It is just a simple and basic episode. These kinds of episodes solely depends on the more superficial side of fun, which is not that great in this case and that's why it's not an A to me.

6. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 : B-. Flim Flam episodes has been all boring to me. This episode especially, the conflict wasn't dealt justly and fairly. Nobody ever had a chance to taste the SSCS 6000 when it's done normally (Applejack knocking the cup out of RD was such an annoying bulls**t), the Flim Flam brothers were labeled as evil businessmen from the get go, the contest didn't make sense.

7. The Hearth's Warming Club : C. The students are bad episode generators for me. This time, the teachers act strange and wrong. The only interesting part is how different kingdoms spend their holidays. But other than that, the plot is contrived.

8. 2, 4, 6, Greaaat : D-. The opposite and the worst of RD. Writers of this episode clearly doesn't understand RD. Let's say RD was in character, but this is simply a boring episode and that is enough to make it below C.

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

These final five minutes evolved Club from a great episode to the best Y6 episode and one of the 20 best, period.

1. Club
2. Twilight Time: This episode is really low-stakes, and after the way DT and SS treated them back in Flight to the Finish, it's surprising to see the CMCs take their advice. But the CMCs show that they can be children without being annoying, and Twilight is adorable. Very underrated episode. (This is also the first episode to show Sweetie trying to improve her magic, which had an everlasting impact on the rest of the series.)
3. Triple Threat: Owl's Well done correctly.
4. Rarity Investigates: Objectively, it's a good episode. But I don't like it that much for two key problems: Wind Rider being the obvious culprit during a mystery episode (something Club did much better, BTW), and hinging the plot on the Wonderbolts readily proclaiming Dash guilty for a crime without proof.
5. SSCS6K: Aside from the Flim Flam song, this episode was meh, and the entire joke of Dash not being able to drink any cider is extremely mean-spirited. (If the cider's this limited, please don't give Pinkie a copious amount.)
6. Greaaat: Season 9 had many good "cap" episodes. This is NOT one of them! Dash is out of character, insufferable, and an incompetent teacher. Twilight has one of her most out-of-character appearances of the series.
7. Feeling Pinkie Keen: One of the biggest conflict contrivances of the series (the Pinkie Sense), Twilight acting completely unlikeable (thus earning her comedic comeuppances), and the unfortunate implication of blind belief and faith being better than logic.
8. 28 Pranks Later: How do you take the most infamous episode of the series and make it an atrocity? Why, rip it off and add a toxic moral, of course! *sigh*

[ChB 18,532]

No contest: Rarity Investigates! One of the most entertaining mystery episodes I've ever seen, and not just in this franchise!  

[Astralshy 23,561]

I think I would order these episodes like this

1. Rarity Investigates!
2. Twilight Time
3. Feeling Pinkie Keen
4. The Hearth's Warming Club
5. Triple Threat
6. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
7. 28 Pranks Later
8.  2, 4, 6, Greaat

[Cash In 21,510]

1. Rarity Investigates - The best RD/Rarity episode. The detective theme works way better than it has the right to.
2. Feeling Pinkie Keen - Say what you will, but I loved this episode even if doesn't make any sense. The funny moments here are some of the best.
3. The Hearth's Warming Club - Shows that Student Six can be great characters in their own right. I wish we had more of this.
4. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 - I thought this one was great. Flim and Flam are fine enough and are effective in fulfilling the whole devious conmen shtick.
5. Twilight Time - It's decent. 
6. Triple Threat - Thorax and Ember are good characters, but overall this episode was pretty bland for me
7. 28 Pranks Later - There's some entertainment value here, but other than that, this wasn't that good.
8. 2, 4, 6, Greaaat - Everyone else has said what needs to be said about this one.

[Lone Traveler 87]

1: Hearth's Warming Club 

2: Rarity Investigates

3: Feeling Pinkie Keen (Story and moral are awful but it's so hillarious that I don't care)

4: Twilight Time

5: 28 Pranks Later

6: Super Speedy Cider Squeezey 6000

7: Triple Threat

8: 2,4, 6 Greaaat 

[bigbertha 410]

1. Rarity Investigates

2. Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000

3. Feeling Pinkie Keen

4. Triple Threat

5. Hearth's Warming Club

6. Twilight Time

7. 2, 4, 6, Greaaat

8. 28 Pranks Later