Ranking the 24th episodes

[KH7672 1,604]

Here it is for those that have made it this far we come down to our final ranking before all the season finales (well and including a finale part already). It's time to see if the seasons last slice of life episode ended off great or just wasted time until the finale and interestingly included Spike a lot as well.

1. Top Bolt- By far the best map episode for the sole purpose of using both characters the map called both effectively and ineffectively. Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash had struggles with solving the problem and both had solutions with neither feeling more in the right or wrong than the other. On top of that is the genuine friendship between Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail that is just a joy to experience.

2. The Mane Attraction- The music along with Lena Hall's singing and the dynamic between Coloratura and Applejack is so good in how it changes yet still maintains it's realism. Not the biggest fan of Svengallop's flat portrayal or the ending wrapping up too easily but the warm feelings emanating from the characters at the show still provide enough enjoyment in the happy ending.

3. MMMystery on the Friendship Express- This is just this high solely for nostalgia purposes, because this is the first episode I ever watched of the show and absolutely made me fall in love with these characters just from their dynamic alone. Yeah the mystery wasn't that great, yeah their actions may have been questionable but it's that positive spin in story telling that hooked me with the show.

4. Uncommon Bond- This episode put Starlight at her most sympathetic due to the passion she wanted to have for this friendship visit to succeed but ultimately fall apart as things continue. It's also the build up of her actions and subtle longing for the past she messed on that gets me here, but also there's not even all the blame on Sunburst as the subtlety also shows how stuck in the past Starlight is. It's because of this build up that I wish we had a much more meaningful resolution for both parties but the Dragon Pit game still was a nice compromise for the time continuing the trend of positive endings.

5. The Ending of the End Part 1- The end ofthe series as it goes all out with the final team up with the villains and they are in top form getting their own powered up versions but also keeping the strong dynamic from previous episodes. However this also started with the reveal of Grogar's identity and I'm still not the fondest of it. Really beyond the villains taking over, the only thing that sticks with me in this first part is Starlight's brief showdown with Chrysalis. Other than that just a lot of build up on the Mane 6 and not much interaction.

6. Equestria Games- The best of the Spike episodes of this bunch mostly because while he messes things up it doesn't feel like the universe or characters are making him.doing it out of spite. It's interesting to watch praise go to his head naturally and dig himself deeper and then getting to save the day not from something he caused but just by being there to know how to act. It's the kind of knock down and build up worthy of character growth. Really the only downside is while this nice story of his is front and center the actual games take place in the background which is kind of a let down from all the build up it had.

7. Father Knows Beast- Honestly I don't hate Sludge that much, mostly because it's made quite clear he's supposed to be unlikable but that doesn't make him that interesting a character especially one to waste a song on! However a saving grace for this episode is Smolder providing genuine compassion and insight on Spike and his questioning of dragon nature.

8. Owl's Well That Ends Well- Spike first solo outing and well it didn't fare well for the little guy. So much so this episode created low expectations for any and all Spike episodes to come after but honestly it's not the worst, it's just very one note the whole time and the plot unfairly props Spike up only to beat on him the rest of the episode. It also didn't fair well for Owlowiscious' character either with the unfunny "who" joke.

[Megas 27,742]

Top Bolt is secretly the best season finale in the show(remember it's first official airing in England had it aired after TWABA), anyway that's the best of the bunch. Honestly, aside from that the rest aren't that very good

1) Top Bolt

2) Uncommon Bond - Questionable depiction of Starlight aside, it does a lot for Sunburst

3) Equestria Games - Gets more hate than it deserves, it's a solid Spike episode and even with the humiliating Cloudsdale national anthem screw up, they still had the decency to let him be the hero in the end. Which is a lot more than I can say about certain other episodes down the line

4) Mane Attraction - I've soured on this episode honestly. I'm not a fan of the whole "real music comes deep from the soul, anti-corporate pop music" lesson, especially since this is Hasbro we're talking about

5) Father Knows Beast - I hate the bait-n-switch "this isn't really his real dad" nonsense despite the episode being real obvious about it. Spike's origins and parentage is something a lot of people are interested and wanted to see it properly addressed after Dragon Quest screwed it up, and for the writers to pull that shit so late is just tasteless. Not to mention Sludge is just unpleasant as a person on top of being a lame character in terms of both appearance and personality

6) Owl's Well That Ends Well - Spike gets shit on and Owlicious sucks

7) Mmmmystery of the Friendship Express - One of Pinkie's worst appearances until Yakity Sax. Pinkie is just a huge spazz while Twilight cleans up her mess despite being a Pinkie episode, which is a big no-no, not to mention it makes the rest of the mane 6 look like inconsiderate jerks. The mystery aspect is a cool idea but this episode really screwed it up, makes me glad Rarity Investigates happened and didn't let it go to waste because that episode did it a lot better

[Sparklefan1234 171,960]

Since this is a silly question with an obvious answer I voted for "MMMystery on the Friendship Express".

 I think Twilight looks cute in her detective hat. 

 

Honorable mention's go to "The Mane Attraction" & "Top Bolt". 

Edited November 25, 2019 by Sparklefan1234

[ChB 18,557]

It's a close race between MMMystery and Mane Attraction. Both have well thought-out stories and are thoroughly entertaining. 

Because I had to vote, though, Mane Attraction got the edge for me, because of its great songs, touching friendship bond, and a theme that is an interesting reference to today's society. 

[Rushing cash 836]

The only episode I dislike in this list is the owls well that ends well, the others are at least enjoyable with the ending of the end part 1 winning.

[Oleks 1,993]

1. The Mane Attraction – a wonderful episode with great songs. I also liked that they finally showed that AJ has friends outside the Mane 6 and her family. The unconventional use of unicorn magic shown in the episode was neat as well.
2. Uncommon Bond – this one is rather relatable, and it explored Sunburst’s character a bit more, which is nice, since the show has very few well-developed male characters.
3. The Ending of the End Part 1 – the reveal was rather disappointing, but other than that I enjoyed the episode quite a bit. My favorite part was making a villain an alicorn instead of the Mane Six alicornication that many fans feared would happen.
4. MMMystery on the Friendship Express – humor and references made this one quite enjoyable.
5-6. Owl's Well That Ends Well, Top Bolt – rather simple and nice stories featuring characters I wish we saw more often.
7-8. Equestria Games, Father Knows Beast – the first one feels like a wasted opportunity, although it gave Spike a moment to shine, the second one wasn’t satisfying to me, as they could at least hint at who Spike’s real parents were. But generally both episodes are far from bad.

[Will Guide 21,362]

Okay, I vote for Uncommon Bond because of Sunburst. The way Twilight flips the game board over is also adorkable!

[Thrond 3,263]

1. Top Bolt - Does a lot to sell me on the Twilight/Rainbow dynamic, which I hadn't cared for previously, but most of why I love this episode comes down to the two new characters. Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger are both immensely charming, and their plight has a bit more depth to it than most of the map episodes. Plus, of the map episodes it's the one with the clearest sense of balance - both Twilight and Rainbow are important to solving the problem. 
2. Equestria Games - I think this has a lot of empathy for Spike, and all of the secondhand embarrassment serves to further the story. I find Spike's inferiority complex very sympathetic, and every time he embarrasses himself, it's because he feels like he needs to prove himself, when it would be enough just to be himself. I find this episode unusually thoughtful and mature for this show. 
3. The Ending of the End, Part 1 - I don't really care about Twilight's existential crisis here, which I can't really square with her interests in the rest of the show, but this episode is just so cool. The villains are actually threatening for once, but they're still hilarious, and there's just a bunch of really spectacular stuff that happens in this two-parter. I don't even remember which part this happened in, but Starlight's showdown with Chrysalis might be one of the most awesome things to happen in the whole show, and that's not even getting into the epic fight at the end. This episode is rad. 
4. MMMystery on the Friendship Express - The main characters seem a bit immature here, but this episode is really funny. 
5. Father Knows Beast - I don't care who Spike's father is. At this point, having him find his dad would be like finding out Applejack's parents are still alive; it's more powerful for him to keep wondering. I think this episode is heartbreaking, and I appreciate it on that level; I think it deepens Spike's and Twilight's relationship a lot. I don't like the idea that Twilight is his mother figure, I think some questions are left unresolved, and I generally wish some of the characters acted differently. But I still find this one really profound. 
6. The Mane Attraction - I don't think it's made clear enough that Coloratura dislikes her pop star image, and I generally don't agree with the implied anti-pop attitude here. I'm not sure Coloratura's moving piano ballads are so much more authentic than her pop tunes, and I find it aggravating that Applejack learns absolutely nothing. I think this episode is vaguely pretentious. Still, the songs are quite nice. 
7. Uncommon Bond - I just don't find the laid-back tone of this all that interesting. Too much of it is just dull, slow montages. Plus it seems like neither Starlight nor Sunburst are being particularly reasonable. Starlight seems awfully selfish to be so upset at Sunburst when he came all this way to see her, and many of the things she does in this are questionable, but Sunburst also seems completely oblivious to Starlight's discomfort. I just don't care about this episode. 
8. Owl's Well That Ends Well - I don't find misunderstandings inherently funny, and I find Spike's jealousy tedious. I think his behaviour suggests how much Twilight means to him, but there's so many contrivances in this, and he's just so petulant. Plus this was an early example of sudden peril in a story that had no need for it. 

[Js250476 1,367]

I really love Mane attraction for Rara and the song being one of the most beautiful things I ever heard. Top Bolt is also a solid one 

[Cash In 22,456]

I'll be honest, I think most of these episodes are meh to weak.

1.  The Mane Attraction (S5) - One of my favourites. I'm kinda shocked that Rara never reappeared after this episode.
2. Top Bolt (S6) - I liked this one a lot too. The Rainbow/Twilight combo worked great here.
3. MMMystery on the Friendship Express (S2) - Fine. Not one of my favourites, but there were some good moments
4. Ending of the End Part 1 (S9) - Decent enough with some good moments, but a couple of things soured my enjoyment.
5. Uncommon Bond (S7) - Meh. I don't have much to say about this one
6. Equestria Games (S4) - Ugh.
7. Owl's Well That Ends Well (S1) - Ughhhh.
8. Father Knows Beast (S8) - Ughhhhhhh. This episode fucking sucked. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Cash_In

[Buttonmash2020 20]

The Ending of the End Part 1

Father Knows Beast

MMMystery on the Friendship Express 

Equestria Games 

The Mane Attraction 

Uncommon Bond 

Top Bolt

Owl's Well That Ends Well

[bigbertha 414]

1. MMMystery on the Friendship Express

2. Top Bolt

3. Equestria Games

4. Uncommon Bond

5. The Mane Attraction

6. Father Knows Beast

7. Owl's Well That Ends Well

8. The Ending of the End Part 1

[Astralshy 27,089]

Well my list would be:

1. The Mane Attraction 
2. The Ending of the End Part 1
3. Owl's Well That Ends Well
4. MMMystery on the Friendship Express 
5. Uncommon Bond 
6. Top Bolt
7. Father Knows Beast
8. Equestria Games