S02:E02 - Growing Pains

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Title: Growing Pains
Release Date: September 26, 2022
Written By: Julia Prescott
Synopsis: Magic's gone wild in Maretime Bay, and Sheriff Hitch is determined to rein it in — unaware that an evil pony is standing by to steal it all for herself.

NOTE: Episode is only available on NetFlix for the foreseeable future. Please keep that in mind!

[The Nth Doctor 661]

Twilight has that weird "not made with this generation in mind" style - her face looks so wide compared to the G5 characters

[Steve Piranha 29,419]

2 minutes ago, The Nth Doctor said:

Twilight has that weird "not made with this generation in mind" style - her face looks so wide compared to the G5 characters

At least Tara Strong reprised the role 

[Rushing cash 836]

The dragon is still my least favorite part about the series, but it seems he has some unique magic, so there is some intrigue. 

I liked the conflict between Sunny and Hitch, it was nice to see Sprout and his accidents again. The climax was pretty dull, but its nice that we explored more of the struggle with earth pony magic. Twilights appearance was actually pretty good. It did gave a nod to the comics. 

Edited September 27, 2022 by Rushing cash

[flutterJackdash 218]

Feels like drew inspiration from Triptych's author, Estee who greatly improved the utility of Earth pony magic in their 'Verse. I like it, gives them more oomph in a combat situation. But how odd to say that it's the first time it's been activated in the history of Equestria.

4 hours ago, The Nth Doctor said:

Twilight has that weird "not made with this generation in mind" style - her face looks so wide compared to the G5 characters

Absolutely correct. I'd rather they had 3D rendered a G4 version, like with the TF2 engine.

  

45 minutes ago, Rushing cash said:

The dragon is still my least favorite part about the series, but it seems he has some unique magic, so there is some intrigue. 

I liked the conflict between Sunny and Hitch, it was to see Sprout and his accidents again. The climax was pretty dull, but its nice that we explored more of the struggle with earth pony magic. Twilights appearance was actually pretty good. It did gave a nod to the comics. 

Well, I don't like the odd noises and all that, but the magic, yes, that is interesting! It's also proving to be story related, so, there's that.

The conflict between Sunny and Hitch feels like it'll be a continuing thing for awhile, so I hope it doesn't get too outta hoof or overdone.

Edited September 26, 2022 by flutterJackdash
Adding another reply

[Misty Shadow 7,845]

I honestly thought this one was great and not just because of my Hitch bias. No, Hitch was essentially the bad guy of this episode and I loved it. I liked how they portrayed him as in the wrong for imposing a heavy restriction like that magic ban and how seeing its failure drove him to a new level of extremism. It gave me nostalgia for who he was in the movie and I do like the subtext of how excessive regulation doesn't work. I also enjoyed Sprout's return, but Twilight's appearance as a recording was the highlight of the episode. As someone who doesn't like that notorious unintended implication from the comics, I relished in the relief I felt wash over me when it was confirmed that she did have a good reason to create the Unity Crystals, that she was not just trying to "force" the ponies to get along. She was trying to stop Opaline from stealing the magic too, thank you. This will definitely enhance my enjoyment of the series going forward. 

[Splashee 28,563]

I like how Hitch is really grown up and responsible. Kenneth is the star though!

Oh, Twilight Sparkle moment was crazy.

And Opaline is hilariously evil. A few of her comments were 2001 evil! (everyone on the internet was that evil in 2001)

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Actually; I thought this was a great episode! We got some needed development for Hitchs, Sparky isn't as annoying as I fears (tho I wish he were past the baby stage), and we got some conflict between Sunny & Hitch. Overall; a well developed episode.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

Why is twi.... Young?

Opaline is also quite young for an alicorn? 

 

[Sparklefan1234 169,802]

I feel like Hitch seems fine with Earth ponies using magic in Tell Your Tale but he's trying to make rules for it or ban it in Make Your Mark? 

 

On 2022-09-26 at 10:55 AM, The Nth Doctor said:

Twilight has that weird "not made with this generation in mind" style - her face looks so wide compared to the G5 characters

 

Have Twilight's eyebrows always been as thick and noticable as they were here? 

[Silly Druid 6,908]

I think it's much better than the previous one. There is a real problem this time, and there are some unsolved mysteries, especially Twilight's glitching message and the tree (also it seems Sparky did something to it). The villains didn't do much this time, hopefully they will do more in the following episodes (I haven't seen them yet).

[Fluttershutter 2,409]

Much better than the first. The way they talked sounded far more natural.

Hitch going a little Phyllis there... 

It was awesome seeing Twilight even though we all wonder why she looks younger. Maybe it will be explained.

On 2022-09-26 at 10:55 AM, The Nth Doctor said:

Twilight has that weird "not made with this generation in mind" style - her face looks so wide compared to the G5 characters

Yeah, she looked a little weird. The thing that bugged me was the streak in her mane. in FIM it magically bounced from side to side when she turned her head. Now it's just kind of there.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

Ok, while I'm not in love with this episode or anything remotely close to that, I will say my opinion here is more positive than negative.  

First off, Twilight's holo-recording didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.  In fact, that it features a clearly younger Twilight means that it can't possibly be the Twilight from the FiM finale, which means that this series is clearly set in some alternate universe rather than the mane one, and I for one am grateful for that, as the forced ties to FiM bother me a lot less now that I know it doesn't actually invalidate FiM, and should I decide to make my exit, I can simply ignore G5 as having nothing to do with the actual conclusion of FiM.  

Surprisingly, I'm still here.  I only watched up to this episode so far, but it's definitely an improvement over the first.  IMHO, this might actually be the best thing Hitch has starred in since the first half of ANG.  I seem to be a lot more critical of his character than most, as I don't feel his gender is a get out of jail free card for bad writing (SNS).  I will say, he doesn't annoy me here.  He's by far the most inconsistently written of the Mane Five IMHO, but the quirky side touched on here is one that works as a believable character flaw in the type of character I perceive Hitch to be, or at least I believe is when Hitch is at his best for me.  I like when he's a down-to-Equestria, voice of reason, no-nonsense cop, and I wish we got a lot more of that.

Sure, I think the episode lays it on a bit thick, and goes a bit overboard, but I do genuinely believe a character like Hitch would try to solve problems on his own, and would seek quick and practical solutions in the interest of keeping everypony safe.  Even when he's just going around banning magic though, he annoys me far less than when the series tries to make him another Pinkie type character.  Seriously, what's up with that?  He's not a fifth wheel, as he's often portrayed either.  Sure, he's the last character in the intro, and I'm sure we may continue to see the occasional moment where he's absent, as he still doesn't live with his filly friends, but episodes like this one certainly help make him feel like a valued member of the cast.

One minor criticism is, I do think the resolution came a bit too quickly, and I have to wonder if touching the Earth Pony crystal made Hitch change his mind, or if it altered his mind a little, as the latter notion is a bit controversial to me.  As I mentioned prior, I do think the episode made him a bit too blind to logic and reason, even for somepony as hyperfocused as he was, and then, the resolution occurred, just like that.  Still, I'm glad all the Mane Five ended up coming together and joining hooves with him while he used his magic to solve the problem at hand.  Still, I greatly prefer this direction for Hitch as a character, and if he was always written like this, he may be a shoe-in for my second favourite pony of the Mane Five.  As it stands, I think Pipp still holds onto my number two spot, as she's much more consistently written, and I'm sure forced quirky Hitch will be back before too long.  

Speaking of Pipp, I certainly don't think this is her best episode.  Serious threats to safety were happening, and she was talking about filters?  I know she's the social media pony, but this episode lays it on a bit too thick for me.  At least she still brings personality to the table, and doesn't annoy me in spite of that.  Sunny's here being the voice of reason again, and...none of it makes her a more interesting character.  Zipp is there too, encouraging scientific observation.  Her role her isn't all that significant, but it works for the story.

I have to say, Izzy and Sparky even annoy me less here than in the previous episode.  I don't know why, as Izzy literally just disregarded Hitch's rules and let Sparky go on a rampage, which Sparky does, but I somehow find them more tolerable in this episode.  I wouldn't call myself a big fan, especially not of Sparky, but hey, it's something.  Speaking of, I actually do like that Hitch goes all legalistic and OCD just like Twilight, list-keeping and all.  I think that actually compliments the side of his character emphasized here, which I feel the series should do more often.  I even think he's a much better representation of Twilight than Sunny, who's just "friendship" with no defining personality traits that come with it.  

Once again, we have our Sailor Moon villains.  While the gag about maniacal laughing in proper unison made me chuckle a little, I think these two take away more from the show than they add, I'm sorry to say.  I do hope there's good payoff for them, and I get the sense there will be (don't spoil later episodes for me if you have seen them), but I really don't like that they're ever present throughout all the episodes.  I am someone who does actually like the more action/adventure oriented season premiers and finales of FiM, but they work IMHO because they break up an otherwise slice of life series, and only take up four episodes plus maybe a handful of others that tie directly into the overarching plot of the season, while the majority of episodes in a season are just slice of life.  While this does appear to be a mostly slice of life series with minor incidents that threaten public safety, being constantly reminded that there's a villain watching is just a bit too much even for me, and I'm assuming this is going to be the case for all of the episodes.  It really doesn't help G5 feel like the simpler series it's apparently trying to be.  

All in all though, I hope to see more episodes like this one.  I still most certainly think G5 can't hold a candle to FiM, and I definitely see it more as a series I will watch through once than one I'll obsess over, but I can at least respect a series that maintains some degree of quality like I've seen here.  I doubt it does, and I'll certainly be pleasantly surprised if that's the case, but I'll wait and see as I watch more episodes.

[Varrack 1,080]

I really love the control vs chaos conflict here. Also I'm happy earth pony magic is a thing now. I don't like the villain (she seems too cliche) or the baby dragon, but maybe that will change. And omg Twilight! 

[Rosy Moonlight 369]

On 2022-09-26 at 11:55 PM, The Nth Doctor said:

Twilight has that weird "not made with this generation in mind" style - her face looks so wide compared to the G5 characters.

I agree with this, and I find that her hair was designed weirdly. Why didn't they just let her horn separate her bangs? They could've used the 2017 MLP movie as a guide.

Edited October 1, 2022 by Rosy Moonlight

[Orchid_Fiore 200]

Simply, I don't see this Twilight as a depiction of the previous one. So, I will call her "G5 Twilight" in each post I write about the character. This one has been created with only one purpose: attract G4 fans.

Spoiler

It can explain why she looks so ugly.

MYM could have worked without FiM help, but the writers of the show and Hasbro executives were convinced about the ideology "if we don't link both generations, the new one will be a failure". On the other hand, I will always dislike the new Pony artstyle. Also, it's incompatible with the Mane 6 and Twilight is the "living" proof of that.

I agree with those who criticize Twilight's appearance, she looks horrible. The dragon is annoying and his color is not creative.

[Skylight Scintillate 2,005]

So let me get this straight: Earth Pony magic is causing problems because they are holding back their magic, so Hitch says in a really unnatural way that they should use all the magic they can, which ends up causing even more problems. Then, Hitch makes the rather rash decision to remove Earth Pony magic, which doesn't really seem in character for him. Like, wouldn't he consider the other effects of doing so?  And then everything is magically solved by Sunny saying that they should control their magic? Like I feel like intuitively, the earth ponies would try to control their magic better once the plants started causing unintended effects. However, they could try to suggest an idea about order vs chaos, but the way it was executed felt so convoluted. Like the last episode, I found this rather bland.

Also, where do I even begin with Twilight Sparkle? Why is she in her younger form? Why does she look like that? How does she know all of this? Why is earth pony magic suddenly so much more powerful? There are so many questions about what happened between G4 and G5 and it feels like with every new episode, they raise even more of them.

[Finding_Marty 785]

I have a feeling that this episode is really different. It's like the animation has improved and it'is nice.

Sunny isn't dummy anymore. In fact, all ponies have improved and play important roles in the episode.

Hitch is old Hitch from the movie again. And Sprout is back!

They finally start thinking about earth pony magic and how dangerous/useful it can be, which is great in my opinion. Can our magic ressurect ponies? Can we by accident nuke our neighbours..?

Why isn't Sunny a narcissist and doesn't look at her mirror all the time?  

Believe in your-self and just do it 

Wierd Twilight Sparkle appears

Some dialogues were acctually good.

and the opening... gold  7/10