Ranking the 18th episodes

[KH7672 1,604]

We all still here? Great, then let's keep going with episode 18 where we've got a mix of just about everything, milestones, divisive types, dull episodes, character intros, character growth and even worst episode contentedors. This could be the easiest ranking or the hardest depending on who you are but let's get to it!

1. Crusaders of the Lost Mark- It's my FAVORITE episode of the entire series what more is there to say? It's got the a Crusaders milestone, but more than that it's got Diamond Tiara characterization, it's got Silver Spoon characterization, it's got Pipsqueak characterization and it's got such memorable songs, favorite having to be "The Vote" It's heartfelt, it's emotional, it's frustrating, it's even downright aggravating at point but that's why I love it so much because it never stops being thought-provoking and memorable. It's the episode that got the biggest emotional response out of me, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

2. Maud Pie- I like Maud and I'd say you like this episode if you enjoy Maud's shtick. Still more than Maud is how much this makes for a great Pinkie episode too, showing the full extent of her planning passion and desire to make others happy and comfortable.

3. She Talks to Angel- A late Season Fluttershy episode that actually gave her believable conflict is all I needed, but add on top of great characterization for Angel and this episode succeeds in some many ways.

4. The Show Stoppers- The first act may be the weakest part of this with just a cutie mark attempting montage, but once the talent show rolls around it really picks up especially the unforgettable performance in itself. In the larger scheme of things it's an important Crusaders episode.

5. Buckball Season- A very middling episode but still pretty entertaining introducing the sport of Buckball and showing off some hidden talents for Pinkie, Fluttershy and especially Snails who was probably the best part. Plus I didn't mind Rainbow Dash and Applejack's behavior and in fact found the joint lesson works better than some of their rivalry lessons.

6. A Friend in Deed- Time has not done the best for this episode especially when it comes to the context of Pinkie's behavior, but the overall message and the Donkeys themselves are a lot of fun. Plus the nostalgia of the Smile Song keeps the episode up as well.

7. Daring Done?- I still say this is a stronger pillar episode than Campfire Tales but doesn't mean it's not a weak Daring Do episode. The story around Somnambula is probably the best part of this episode, but not much else really works.

8. Yakity Sax- It's an obvious choice but it's the right one. There is just too much contrivance in the set up of this episode mostly coming down from Pinkie's obsession of the yovidaphone and thrusting much of the moral solely on the rest of the Mane 6 unfairly.

[Cash In 21,580]

1. Crusaders of the Lost Mark (S5) - The episode that all of us wanted to see and yeah, it did not disappoint. I genuinely shed a tear.
2. A Friend in Deed (S2) - Great Pinkie episode. Not perfect, but the smile song more than makes up for it.
3. She Talks to Angel (S9) - Wasn't expecting to like this, but it was actually a pretty good episode.
4. Buckball Season (S6) - Decent enough. Buckball is interesting.
5. Maud Pie (S4) - Alright.  Maud is a fine character, but it's safe to say that she gets much better later on.
6. Daring Done? (S7) - Alright. Good moments, but that's it.
7. The Show Stoppers (S1) - Eh. It's harmless.
8. Yakity Sax (S8) - This episode blew on so many levels. Worst Pinkie episode.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Cash_In

[Will Guide 21,325]

Obviously Crusaders of the Last Mark is a milestone that marks the CMC's main goal throughout most of the show.

I just wished I was allowed to vote for more than one episode. Because the fact She Talks to Angel was a very pleasant surprise, turning out to be a Freaky Friday Episode. I love those kinds of plots and it really made me appreciate Angel Bunny much more. Not I ever despise him during the show's run, save for his attitude in Putting Your Hoof Down 

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

1. A Friend in Deed : A+. The episode that made me a fan of the show. A great song that sets up the character and the premise, the story also works very well. It's a rare case of showing Pinkie's annoying aspect and still make us love the character. The tone of the episode is just magical, the characters are set very well. This episode shows the best of Pinkie Pie, and also the best of ponykind as well.

2. She Talks to Angel : A. The episode that gave Angel a life as a legit character. Now we know how Angel actually cared or starts caring about Fluttershy. I don't want to smack Angel at the face anymore.

3. Maud Pie : A-. An episode heavily relies on character based comedy. But it's the heartfelt moments that makes the characters truly shine and completes the episode.

4. Buckball Season : B+. A slice of life episode with mundane issues. But it's not boring and almost has no flaws.

5. Crusaders of the Lost Mark : B. I actually didn't cared if the CMCs get their cutie marks. And when it happened, I still didn't care that much, and thought it should have happened earlier. Later on, I figured out that people flipped out at this episode.

6. The Show Stoppers : B-. This episode is considered as the cornerstone of bad CMCs episodes. This showcased that cuteness can't fix everything. It is still not a bad episode, but the predictable typical and tedious aspects might bothered some people.

7. Daring Done? : C-. I don't find anything interesting about this episode.

8. Yakity Sax : D-. Persue your dreams no matter how much others pays the price? How about showing some considerations for your old friends? A case of character completely collapsing for the sake of cheap comedies and  fanservices. They didn't understood the character properly when writing this episode. And some plot points went to 11 without proper adjustments of the nuance.

Edited October 14, 2019 by Sepul-Coloratura

[Megas 27,086]

1) Crusaders of the Lost Mark - Something everyone waited for and goddamn did they deliver
2) She Talks to Angel - I said I saw one other episode of the second half of S9, this was the one. I said there were only about 6-7 episodes I would have kept if I were to completely redo them, all of them having to do with something important(important to character arcs, returning celebs, 200th episode). This episode though is the only one that'd I'd keep entirely on it's quality alone
3) Maud Pie - Still the best Maud Pie episode, it was really funny and different from what we expected. Still wish they didn't milk Maud though
4) Buckball Season - Still the best Buckball episode, still annoyed how S9 ended up making me sick of it, So just like Maud, I've kinda soured on this one
5) The Show Stoppers - Yeah, I honestly don't hate this one, I actually think it's kinda cute
6) A Friend in Deed - The Smile Song is great, but otherwise, it's honestly a pretty bad episode
7) Daring Done? - This one hurts, it was actually going really good until the abysmal 3rd act completely shits over everything
8) Yakity Sax - Yeah, the remane 5 try their damndest to salvage it, but Pinkie is just dreadful and the moral is garbage, this is one of, if not, the worst Pinkie episodes ever

Edited October 14, 2019 by Kiryu-Chan

[Oleks 1,983]

1. Crusaders of the Lost Mark – one the most important episodes of the show, featuring one of its most satisfying moments.
2-3. Maud Pie, She Talks to Angel – Maud rocks and Angel talks – what else do you need?
4. The Show Stoppers – now that I remembered this episode the song will play in my head all day. 
5. Buckball Season – I really like the concept of pony quidditch and the fact that RD and AJ aren’t the best at it.
6-7. A Friend in Deed, Daring Done? – good episodes featuring Pinkie being Pinkie, and a bunch of other stuff.
8. Yakity Sax – an episode featuring Pinkie becoming a sad Pinkie, which made me a bit sad too. 

[Thrond 3,257]

1. Crusaders of the Lost Mark - I really do love this mess. There's so much wrong with it, but it's also just so operatic and poignant. I guess the reason this works for me whereas "Magical Mystery Cure" doesn't is because the CMC are being given a reward that makes sense, and Diamond Tiara isn't being rewarded with anything but empathy. Sue me, I have a soft spot for this show's efforts to find the goodness in everyone. 
2. A Friend in Deed - This episode is really charming and upbeat. It's peak Pinkie Pie, for better and for worse, but mostly for better, and it has one of the show's best songs. 
3. She Talks to Angel - I'm not entirely convinced by the resolution here, but it's admirably nuanced, and watching Fluttershy be a jerk - even if it's just Angel in Fluttershy's body - will always be hilarious to me. 
4. Maud Pie - I find this kinda one-note and awkward, and at times Maud's behaviour is so confusing that it just seems like she and the mane six aren't communicating properly. I feel Pinkie should have tried harder to make them understand each other. 
5. Buckball Season - Fluttershy being a great buckball player remains one of the more baffling ideas in the show to me, and I think this stretches everything out way too long, but it's got some relatively strong characterization for season 6 and even allows Applejack and Rainbow Dash to figure out the moral on their own, which the show never did as much as it should have. 
6. Yakity-Sax - This episode doesn't make any sense, but I think it's going for something relatively nuanced, and it has a downbeat tone I kinda enjoyed. 
7. Daring Done? - This episode is annoying.
8. The Show Stoppers - See above. 

[Dark Qiviut 22,177]

Isn’t it obvious? Crusaders of the Lost Mark is what Magical Mystery Cure wished to be. Excellent pacing. Characters had time to express themselves. The story had time to slow down to hit those emotional moments. Best moment all season: the CMCs agreeing to check up Diamond Tiara. They never had to do it, but did so because they cared and were worried. And this is the second episode to make me cry (Dash singing to Scoot being the moment).

1. Lost Mark
2. She Talks to Angel: Hilarious. “I talk to animals. want to marry Discord…” Sassy Angel’s sassy.
3. A Friend in Deed: Act 3 is blah. The rest was very good. The Smile Song is amazing! The very opening jingle is my top moment of S2.
4. Yakity-Sax: You don’t have any right to tell a friend what hobby he can or can’t enjoy regardless of how much it annoys you. Pinkie was absolutely justified to feel so depressed, and the moral was spot on.
5. Daring Done: Decent for the first two acts, but the final one is a mess.
6. Buckball Season: Wouldn’t get on my nerves so much if it weren’t for two things: Fluttershy’s crazy-tirade faces treating her anger/rant as a joke and ruining the moment that transitioned to the second half of the episode! And the episode itself having the worst dialogue in the show.
7. Maud Pie: Uncomfortable and boring anti-humor. The rescue scene shifted the stakes to 15 ultra-quickly. Lastly, the moral is extremely clunky, contradicts why Twilight rejected the idea in the first place, and opens up the implication that you become friends if you just have something in common regardless of mutual communication or ability to get along with them at all.
8. Show Stoppers: OK, the crusaders are doing what they’re really good at very early, but they’re so unobservant and try to do some things else. Doesn’t help that they’re extremely annoying and one-dimensional.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

Crusaders of the Lost Mark

 

It was wonderful. I actually liked it more for making Diamond Tiara fight to become "The pony she wants to be', than the CMC getting their cutie marks! I went from hating DT, to wanting to give her a big hug!

[Dark Qiviut 22,177]

4 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

I went from hating DT, to wanting to give her a big hug!

I think a good 90% of bronydom at the time felt the same way. DT’s situation was heartbreaking, and her song only added to the despair she was in.

[Will Guide 21,325]

16 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

Crusaders of the Lost Mark

 

It was wonderful. I actually liked it more for making Diamond Tiara fight to become "The pony she wants to be', than the CMC getting their cutie marks! I went from hating DT, to wanting to give her a big hug!

 

10 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

I think a good 90% of bronydom at the time felt the same way. DT’s situation was heartbreaking, and her song only added to the despair she was in.

I agree. The CMC getting their marks were great but to be expected. Which is why a pleasant surprise I never see coming like DT having understandable reasons to act haughty and deciding to change for the better is even more impressive.

[Here No Longer 5,270]

I think my opinion on this one isn't quite the popular one. Still haven't seen "She Talks to Angel" though.

 

1. A Friend In Deed (Still one of my favorite episodes of the show, even with Pinkie's slightly annoying attitude)
2. Crusaders of the Lost Mark (Don't get me wrong, it is amazing, but it doesn't beat AFID)
3. Maud Pie (My opinion on this one has sweetened over time, as I've begun to not really dislike Maud. Still meh.)
4. Buckball Season
5. The Showstoppers (I don't often like CMC episodes, and this episode exemplifies why)
6. Daring Done? (Yuck.)
7. Yakity Sax (It didn't make my least favorite episodes list, but it's probably among the 10 worst. Everyone was bad here.)

[Rushing cash 827]

1. The Crusaders of the lost mark- 10\10, one of the best and most important episodes of the series, The songs are great, the story is good and the ending is emotional. This episode brings me joy every time I watch it.
2. She talks to angle- 9\10 Wonderful episode. We finally have an episode revolving shys and her diabolic pet relationship, and its funny, I mean all what angle says as FS is hilarious.
3. A friend in deed- 8\10 the songs is fantastic and overall a neat episode.
4. The show stoppers- 7\10, I actually enjoy this episode
5.  Maud pie- 7\10 I think this is one of if not my least favorite episodes maud is a major character in them. Still, an interesting episode by I am not a big fun of the resolution. 
6. Buck ball season- 6\10 an OK episode, it has its moments but I can't say I really enjoy this one.
7. daring done- 6\10 while I enjoy watching this episode the way daring do episodes kinda nerf the main characters was always an issue with me and the last act is a mess. 
8. Yakity sax- 2\10, There are very few mlp episodes I can say I actually hate, this is one of them. This episode is either the worst episode of the series or the second worst(spike at your service is the other contender) for me.

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

1. A Friend in Deed (Pinkie does push the limits of patience at times (most notably her emphasis of Cranky's... middle-age hair loss and her relentless stalking of Cranky in the third act, which comes off as slightly too exaggerated even by Pinkie's standards at this time) but this is arguably one of her most quintessential episodes, and I love the fact that it portrays Pinkie as flawed but well-intentioned whilst remaining relatively well-balanced and infectiously entertaining. I should also reference the excellence of the Smile Song here, but I would simply be mirroring the words of a considerable majority)

2. Maud Pie (an imperfect but admirable attempt on the show's part to delve into a style of comedy it typically shied away from utilizing to such an extent during its formative years. Resultantly, while Maud is relatively one-note, the episode's mechanics somehow support this as justifiable, considering that the comedy is well-time enough for the episode to merely focus on a sequence of joke-based scenes with the show's typical moralistic themes played down to a level where they accentuate the tension of the situation and propel the narrative forward without intercepting the gags. Barely short of being great)

3. Crusaders of the Lost Mark (overrated and structurally sloppy, but an admirable effort. The crew were clearly striving to tell a far larger story than feasible for the runtime, leading to an arguable overdose of cheesy melodrama and Diamond Tiara/the CMC arguably earning their marks in an overly easy way, but the underlying sentiment is surprisingly open-hearted in a way which renders these issues more acceptable than the standard)

4. She Talks to Angel (generally structurally solid, but suffers from predictability)

5. Daring Done? (a frustratingly tedious episode which executes its potentially interesting plot in such a bareboned manner that virtually every aspect of interest (save for the Somnambula backstory, which is relatively brief) is subsequently ironed out of its framework)

6. Yakity-Sax (a failed attempt at a more dour episode, largely due to its awkward moralizing)

7. The Show Stoppers (a glimpse into the type of show apprehensive critics initially expected FiM to mirror, with the CMC effectively acting as bland child characters blindly executing a dull and predictable plot (as if the crew felt obligated to include at least one 'pure CMC' focus episode in the season). The song sequence is hilarious, however)

8. Buckball Season (one of the emptiest and least organic episodes of the series) 

[Sparklefan1234 161,995]

"Maud Pie" is my favorite out of all of the eighteenth episodes. I think it is one of the funniest episodes of Friendship is Magic. 

[ChB 18,532]

Crusaders of the Lost Mark, by far! One of the few episodes where I was thoroughly entertained in all 22 minutes of it. Best character development of the CMC, decent songs, great backstory of Diamond Tiara, and best choice of Cutie Marks the writers could think of.

[bigbertha 410]

1. A Friend in Deed: This episode is honestly kinda underrated. Yeah people love the Smile Song, but the rest of the episode is also great. Pinkie isn't just a complete ass from start to finish. She gets Cranky a spa treatment and a new toupee when she ruins his old one. Ruining Cranky's journal is a complete accident, she puts it out as quickly as possible, and she understands how badly she messed up. When she's chasing Cranky after, it's not because she wants him to be her friend anymore. It's to apologize. She says she understands that Cranky doesn't want her as a friend. And did some people forget when Pinkie said that she would leave Cranky alone before she brought out Matilda? Pinkie's characterization on top of The Smile Song make this episode a complete banger.

2. She Talks to Angel: One of the three good episodes of season 9. I love the exploration of Fluttershy and Angel's relationship and it's pretty fun as a whole. 

3. Maud Pie: Some more great Pinkie characterization, though it does take some time to get there. The dry comedy gets old after a while and adding season 4 Pinkie to it doesn't help. But everything from Pinkie's obstacle course onward makes this episode good.

4. Buckball Season: It's fine. I don't really feel strongly one way or the other, but I like Snails, I guess.

5. Crusaders of the Lost Mark: I don't buy Diamond Tiara's reformation. All of this stuff very clearly wasn't planned out before which makes it all feel hollow. I also don't like the CMC mostly getting the same cutie mark.

6. The Show Stoppers: This one's just really boring. I don't find most of the jokes to be funny and I've never been the biggest fan of the CMC in their group episodes. At least the song is funny.

7. Daring Done?: This one just has a really messy plot. Pinkie's actually solid as comic relief and I kinda wish we got more Pinkie and Daring Do interaction, but how did nobody recognize Caballeron?

8. Yakity-Sax: Heh. Pinkie's best and worst characterization are on this list. This episode is shit. The yovidaphone was never set up before thus I can't believe that Pinkie would get so depressed, even if the others were wrong in how they told her to stop. She didn't even get this bad when she gave away her party cannon. She didn't get this bad when she thought her friends didn't like her parties. Pinkie in this episode is complete bullshit. And the ending sucks too. The fact of the matter is that Pinkie was actively harmful towards everyone and yet she can just continue to be awful by the end. This is easily my least favorite episode of the show.

 

[Astralshy 23,723]

My listing and I love them all :>

1. Crusaders of the Lost Mark 
2. A Friend in Deed  
3. The Show Stoppers  
4. Maud Pie  
5. Daring Done 
6. Buckball Season 
7. She Talks to Angel Yakity Sax 

[North Star 4,543]

Tough cookie

Why must you make me choose between a great musical ep like Lost Mark and an iconic song like Smile?

Got to go with Smile / Friend indeed, because it was my intro to Living Tombstone and represents the weird pink energy of bronies. The ep also features Twi telling Pinkie that sometimes ponies just can't be friends - like a true Princess of Friendship should