Ranking the 1st episodes

[KH7672 1,604]

So....we were nearing the end but I want to try something different. Lets take these episode rankings to the full season. We're going to go see how things rank up going episode by episode.

Starting with your thoughts on the first part of some two parters or maybe the sole slice of life episode. Let's see which first part of these premiers not only set up expectations best but also lets try to treat them separately too. Did enough happen in this part to feel invested or was that second part needed. It's all for the fun of thinking about these episodes a different way so let's see how things feel.

1. Return of Harmony Part 1- This premiere is what made Discord great and his shenanigans here along with the Mane 6's trials through the maze created not just the best tension, best comedy, and a fantastic set up for a villain who had it all planned yet could still be thrown off or improvise his demeanor.

2. The Cutie Map Part 1- The initial reveal of Starlight's village and Starlight herself is such a memorable moment in the show allowing for a much more subtle villain and atmosphere. However the thing that really propels this single part is "In Our Town" song which sets a wonderfully distopian mood.

3. Friendship is Magic Part 1- It may not have much of the villain but honestly it doesn't need to. The great thing about this first part is just following Twilight and Spike along and meeting the ponies of Ponyville, especially five ponies in particular. Their interactions feel real and their characters genuine. It's a great low-key start to the series.

4. Celestial Advice- The episode to give some much needed interaction between Twilight and Celestia. The end provides a lot of sentiment not just for Celestia and Twilight but Twilight and Starlight as well. Discord wasn't too much while his purpose was to provide a jump in logic for Twilight that never got properly expounded upon his comedic undertones of it all were nice. Plus the fantasy segments provided good comedy as well.

5. The Crystal Empire Part 1- The suspense and mystery behind this premiere are big draws from the sudden appearance of the Crystal Empire to it's citizens suffering from subconscious trauma to Sombra himself just being a mere presence. As well as "The Ballad of the Crystal Ponies" that helps to bring up the mood but also brings the Mane 6 together.

6. The Crystalling Part 1- I definitely have bias on this because while it's low stakes especially with nothing happening until the Crystal Heart shatters at the very end, it's the premiere that showed off reformed Starlight and that initial aspect of her worries in the beginning provided enough investment.

7. Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1- This premiere is a little weird with taking a large step back of Twilight's role as a princess that the Season 3 finale implied. However the suspense and mystery surrounding the princesses disappearance and the strength of the Plunderseed vines themselves is investing as well as re-introducing a not so trustworthy Discord. Plus that initial flashback to Nightmare Moon was great (though will ultimately be pointless beyond lore building)

8. The Beginning of the End Part 1- The plot points and feelings of this part are all over the place. From the retirement announcement to Twilight jumping in and worrying but not actually taking time to address each thing that will change like her school, or her castle, or just her life. To the build up of villains with the only one doing much is Sombra with not even much screentime or presence until the very end when he destroys the Tree of Harmony finally creating some suspense.

9. School Daze Part 1- However what a rushed first part really feels like is this one. Building a school off-screen, running it for an indeterminate amount of time by montage, and not actually allowing for much a build up or investment on the whole school premise from the students to the classes. It is a lot easier to side with Neighsay than it wants to be especially when his is the only viable opinion.

Edited November 2, 2019 by KH7672

[Here No Longer 5,276]

• Return of Harmony
• The Cutie Map
• The Beginning of the End
• Friendship is Magic
• Princess Twilight Sparkle
• Celestial Advice
• The Crystal Empire
• School Daze
• The Crystalling

[Js250476 1,367]

Surprised we took this long to judge the first episodes.

 

imo Return of Harmony is Probably my favorite has a wonderful set out and did a good job os establishing Discord probably my favorite character of the whole show. Cutie Map and Celestial Advice are also great for introducing Starlight and giving Celestia more character respectively 

Friendship is Magic part 1 may not be the best but it’s also what started it all and as a series premiere it accomplished what it sent out to do.

 

 Beginning of the End I also have a soft spot for introducing the Legion of Doom (that completely took me off guard and was so hype) and some funny moments like Twilighting. 

 

I also really like Princess Twilight Sparkle for reassuring that yes the show and Twilight isn’t ruined cause she has wings now 

[Megas 27,628]

It's a tough call between Return of Harmony and Cutie Map, but I think I'll go with Cutie Map. Beginning of the End and Celestial Advice get honorable mentions

[Sepul-Coloratura 762]

Including the standalone season 7 premiere episode might not seem that fair, but putting in the very first episode is cheating to me. It is THE premiere of all premieres. If it didn't have got my attention, I wouldn't even watched the rest of the series. Even it's technically not the best episode ever, but it is one of the most special episode to me. Besides, it is actually a good episode indeed.

Edited November 2, 2019 by Sepul-Coloratura

[Thrond 3,263]

1. The Crystalling, Part 1 - To me, these two episodes remain the most effective part of Starlight’s character arc. This first half establishes her insecurity and has some great jokes around her stalling, plus all the freaky baby shenanigans; it’s the more conventionally entertaining half. I love that they took so much time for something so low-stakes and character-driven.
2. The Return of Harmony, Part 1 - Discord is funny, and in retrospect this did a great job of exploring darker territory while keeping the show’s lightweight vibe and sense of humour. 
3. Friendship is Magic, Part 1 - This is a bit different from what would come later, but I like it for the same reason as “The Crystalling” - until disaster strikes, the stakes are mostly low, allowing for a bunch of cute character introductions. The details of Nightmare Moon’s return are kinda sketchy, though.
4. The Crystal Empire, Part 1 - The whole “test” aspect of this episode holds it back for me, as I feel like Twilight has bigger things to worry about than whether she passes or fails. But I also think these episodes are one of the show’s most successful mixtures of epic adventure and character-driven comedy, with low-level hijinks working towards a greater goal. It’s very funny. 
5. The Cutie Map, Part 1 - The whole cult angle is such unusual territory for this show, and there’s parts of this that are among the most disturbing in the whole series. I think the mane six characterization is kinda weak, but the atmosphere is delightfully creepy.
6. The Beginning of the End, Part 1 - This seems much less inspired to me than “The Crystal Empire,” and it doesn’t spend nearly as much time on quirky asides, but it’s fast-paced and upbeat and genuinely kinda fun. My opinion of both parts is basically the same. 
7. School Daze, Part 1 - This is a really interesting change of pace, and it’s fairly upbeat, but this first part is saddled with a lot of exposition and table-setting. Most of the really good stuff is in part 2. 
8. Celestial Advice - This episode feels pointless to me. Twilight has Starlight move, but then she doesn’t. Celestia gets the spotlight but barely does anything. Starlight allegedly graduated, but continues to make shockingly poor judgment calls for the rest of the season. Nothing that happens here actually matters, and I don’t find Twilight’s bond with Starlight very convincing at this point either. 
9. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 1 - There is way too much going on in this one. So Twilight is nervous about changes in her life, and also Discord is pestering her, and also there are these vines to take care of, and also she gets to see a vision about the Nightmare Moon incident. That last part is the best example of the problem here: it’s completely irrelevant, builds suspense for something we already know the ending of, and distracts from Twilight’s personal journey. Not a fan of this one.

Edited November 3, 2019 by AlexanderThrond
Forgot season 5

[Oleks 1,993]

1. Return of Harmony Part 1 – one word: Discord.
2. The Beginning of the End Part 1 – I know, many people have problems with it. But I really liked two things: the fact that they announced Twilight’s future coronation in the very first episode instead of waiting the whole season, and the return of Grogar (considering that at that time we did not know who “Grogar” actually was) and all the best villains.
3. Friendship is Magic Part 1 – it was the first MLP episode I watched from the beginning to the end, and it’s definitely among the episodes I rewatched at least 10 times, mostly due to it being the start of many abridged series.
4. Celestial Advice – this one was both funny and emotional. Also, a nice bit of continuity, which I always appreciate.
5-6. The Crystal Empire Part 1, The Cutie Map Part 1 – two solid episodes, the former introduced a new and very important location, and gave Shining and Cadance something to do, the latter featured the first appearance of Starlight and a fake equality theme I really liked.
7-9. Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1, The Crystalling Part 1, School Daze Part 1 – PTS felt like it could have been way bigger than it was; the other two introduced things I wasn’t very enthusiastic about (a new alicorn and the school), but eventually both grew on me.

 

[Moonlight 7,286]

return of harmony part 1 is the best opener of the show imo

on the opposite side i don't remember much from school daze part 1...

[Rushing cash 836]

I dont like to judge 2 parters separately but if I had to... 

1. The beginning of the end part 1- its just so good, we got a villain team up set, big news for twilight and king sombra finally returns. The episode ends on a great cliff hanger and the episode is full of great moments. Every character gets a moment to shine, from starlights manipulation, twilights freak out, even flurry and her parents, not to speak of rainbow calling the princesses out. Its just perfect to me.
2. The cutie map part 1- its creepy, intriguing and I love starlight glimmer as a villain. The song is just something else...
3. The return of harmony part 1- what can I say... discord just stole the show.
4. The crystal empire part 1- I really liked the set up, the characters have moments to shine and its just really entertaining. The ballad of crystal empire is a great song but to short. I would have placed this episode on the same level as the return of harmony if not for the song about the test.
5. Celestial advice- just a fun episode with celestia character being explored.
6. Friendship is magic part 1- I came to watch this episode expecting something really silly and with boring characters but I was really impressed by the characters. The story was engaging with relatable characters. The first part is good, the second is disappointing.
7. Princes twilight sparkle part 1- a good episode, just very enjoyable with great moments. 
8. The crystaling part 1- its enjoyable but the alicorn twist is still a bit sore. We never really got an explanation why it happened.
9. School daze part 1- its better then part 2 but pretty boring and could have been handled better.

I must admit that usually both parts are on the same level, the only odd couple is friendship is magic, part 1 is good but the second... I was really disappointed by it.

[Will Guide 21,360]

In general, I don't "hate" any of them. And Part 1 is good as usually the calm before the storm in Part 2, where we are usually introduced to new characters and even locations.

Honestly, talking about which one is better than the other is not my style. To me, the only "bad" episodes are one that leave no impression on me, rather than bad writing such as poor pacing, predictable plots, family-unfriendly Aesop's, etc. No, I much prefer talking about what I like about each and what could have been better, rather than attach a number to them

(More to say by editing in later)

[bigbertha 414]

I like judging two parters as a whole, but doing it like this might be fun.

1. The Cutie Map Part 1: Some of these two parters make it hard to rank each episode separately and this is one of them. This part as a lot of the same pros as the second part. But I guess this one has the great song and builds more of a creepy atmosphere. The cliffhanger is also great.

2. Celestial Advice: Solid episode as a whole. Celestia gets her last good character moments before being ruined later in the season and there are some good jokes throughout. The only problem is the continuity error with the mane six all being friends before Twilight got to Ponyville. Griffon the Brush Off and Look Before You Sleep disagree.

3. Friendship is Magic Part 1: This is easily better than the second part. It establishes the world in a natural way and each character gets a good scene to show off the basics of who they are. Well, except Applejack. She doesn't have much personality in her first scene. It's a good thing that Applebuck Season came early on in the season.

4. The Crystalling Part 1: AKA the only time Starlight was remotely sympathetic and interesting. I like all of her set up and the little bit we see with her and Sunburst. Maybe it helps that she doesn't do any magic and doesn't show off how overpowered she is. We also get overworked Shining Armor which is nice. Also TwiPie babysitters.

5. The Crystal Empire Part 1: A lot of the set up is actually solid with a lot of mysteries and the first look at dark magic. I really like the scene when the mane six first get to the Crystal Empire where they're chased by Sombra's cloud and we get our first look at what Sombra can do when he infects Shining's horn. But I still don't really care about Shining Armor and Cadence and that song is completely useless. Still, decent stuff all around.

6. Return of Harmony Part 1: I think part 2 of this episode is significantly better than part 1. This episode has a solid start, but it devolves into bad dialogue, melodrama, and Twilight being stupid. I guess part 2 also has a lot of melodrama, but part 2 is also really funny and has some fun action so I can deal with it. There's very little comedy here outside of the beginning and the bit with Fluttershy.

7. Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1: This one is just really boring. The villain is a bunch of vines, and not much really happens. I can say that about the two parter as a whole, but at least that one has the fight between Celestia and Nightmare Moon. I guess Twilight is worried about feeling left out and not being able to handle things. But she handles things pretty well when the guards come to her and her feeling left out of the group, but that's kinda thrown out once the vines come out. There is a really sweet scene of Celestia talking about the Summer Sun Celebration and it's nice to see the mane six put the elements on again, but that's about it.

8. The Beginning of the End Part 1: Here we get the introduction of both of the arcs which suck, Twilighting, and Sombra taking over shit way too quickly. There's really not much to like.

9. School Daze Part 1: Now here's the episode that almost made me quit the show. The School is a horrible idea that contradicts the point of the show and makes no sense, the song is awful, and the students are boring.

 

[Cash In 22,312]

A bit hard to judge episodes that are in halves in comparison to full ones.

1. The Cutie Map Part 1 (S5) - Such an amazing episode. It doesn't need a big bad monster to be effective at conveying something sinister. There's just this level of uncertainty that makes this episode so intriguing.
2. Return of Harmony Part 1 (S2) - This was the point where I realised that the show could have more dynamic stories with really interesting villains. Discord at his best, in my opinion.
3. Friendship is Magic Part 1 (S1) - I actually like this better than Part 2. Good introduction and is actually pretty fun to go back to.
4. The Beginning of the End Part 1 (S9)- The villain team up and Grogar was definitely a highlight. Unfortunately the stupid twist at the end of the season has soured my opinion a bit.
5. The Crystal Empire Part 1 (S3) - Probably in the minority here, but I l liked this one.
6. Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1 (S4) - Wasn't huge on this one. The idea of Twilight coming to terms with being an Alicorn is fine, but this was pretty underwhelming aside from that.
7. The Crystalling Part 1 (S6) - It's okay. Starlight was the best part of the episode.
8. School Daze Part 1 (S8) - It's okay.
9. Celestial Advice (S7) - Meh. Nothing wrong with it, but this one never stood out to me. Especially as a season premiere. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Cash_In

[Astralshy 26,647]

My list :>

1. The Cutie Map Part 1
2. Return of Harmony Part 1
3. Friendship is Magic Part 1
4. The Beginning of the End Part 1 
5. Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1
6. The Crystal Empire Part 1 
7. Celestial Advice
8. The Crystalling Part 1
9. School Daze Part 1

 

[Savy 5,077]

1. School Daze 

2. The beginning of the end

3. the cutie map

4. celestial advice

5. princess twilight sparkle

6. the crystal empire

7. return of harmony

8. the crystalling

9. friendship is magic

 

[dead account 2,710]

1. The Cutie Map - Part 1
2. The Crystalling - Part 1
3. The Crystal Empire - Part 1
4. Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1
5. The Beginning of the End - Part 1
6. Celestial Advice
7. Friendship is Magic - Part 1
8. The Return of Harmony - Part 1
9. School Daze - Part 1

[Tom Gallagher 33,588]

2 hours ago, Sven Seelenherz said:

1. The Cutie Map - Part 1
2. The Crystalling - Part 1
3. The Crystal Empire - Part 1
4. Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1
5. The Beginning of the End - Part 1
6. Celestial Advice
7. Friendship is Magic - Part 1
8. The Return of Harmony - Part 1
9. School Daze - Part 1

Return of Harmony at 8?!  I love that one!

[dead account 2,710]

2 minutes ago, TomDaBombMLP said:

Return of Harmony at 8?!  I love that one!

To be fair, all episodes are great, some have to be "lower" here than the others. But in the end it doesn't mean much!