S03:E01+02 - The Crystal Empire

[cmarston1 5,959]

Before Princess Twilight Sparkle, this was my favorite season premiere.

And I still really like this episode today.

[Castle Bleck 19,334]

On 6/21/2016 at 2:22 AM, heavens-champion said:

On the contrary, I find him interesting.

 

A non-timewaster who can cast nearly Discord-level curses, currently remains the most-prepared villain in G4, and actually dies at the end (albeit temporarily, according to the comics).

Edited July 11, 2018 by A.V.

[heavens-champion 1,905]

A non-time-waster who can cast nearly Discord-level curses, currently remains the most prepared villain in G4, and actually dies at the end (albeit temporarily, according to the comics).

And he didn't lose because he gloated. He lost because of chance.

[Castle Bleck 19,334]

On 6/26/2016 at 12:04 PM, heavens-champion said:

And he didn't lose because he gloated. He lost because of chance.

 

Hence the aforementioned "non-timewaster" bit.

Edited July 11, 2018 by A.V.

[cmarston1 5,959]

Hence the aforementioned "non-time-waster" bit.

Which makes Sombra the villain who got the absolute closest to winning in the end.

[heavens-champion 1,905]

Hence the aforementioned "non-time-waster" bit.

Right. And yet, he's still underrated. Obviously, they wanted him to be just another cartoon villain. Or, maybe, they were just upset that he didn't interact with the main characters.

[Thrond 3,263]

A non-time-waster who can cast nearly Discord-level curses, currently remains the most prepared villain in G4, and actually dies at the end (albeit temporarily, according to the comics).

He carries more threat and menace than almost any other FiM villain. Plus I always found the fact that his reign was forgotten by the amnesiac Crystal Ponies creepy. Gives his history an air of dark mystery, and leaves a lot to the imagination.

[Duality 10,740]

I love the snowflake architecture of the Crystal Empire, and Sombra is just plain epic, whether as a black cloud of intangible darkness or in his physical humanoid equinoid manifestation. He has a real aura of menace about him, and is arguably the most legitimately evil of all the villains in G4 (G1 Tirek is probably worse from what I've heard  ).

Crystalline ponies are an interesting addition to canon, primarily because they're translucent. Pony biology was weird enough without the meddling of pseudoscience magic. 

[Dawn Darkness 217]

I've seen some of the first episode of this season, and immediately I like it. (Sombra, by far, is my favourite villain in MLP!)

Edited October 15, 2016 by Dawn Darkness

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

I've seen some of the first episode of this season, and immediately I like it. (Sombra, by far, is my favourite villain in MLP!)

Sombra rocks the villainy hard. Most are simply unable to accept him for his lack of personality.

 

>> My take on Sombra: here.

[Dawn Darkness 217]

Sombra rocks the villainy hard. Most are simply unable to accept him for his lack of personality.

Heck yeah. Sombra is the best!

[leonbrony17 1,216]

Sombra is good yeah. Especially his hidden traps .

Edited October 21, 2016 by leonbrony17

[GoddessRarity 48]

I thought it was a very good intro to the season. That being said Sombra is easily the shows worst antagonist. A cardboard box probably has more personality than him.

King Sombra fans be hatin.

[Castle Bleck 19,334]

Sombra rocks the villainy hard. Most are simply unable to accept him for his lack of personality.

 

>> My take on Sombra: here.

 

I accepted him long before the comics fixed said "lack of personality."

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

I accepted him long before the comics fixed said "lack of personality."

 

Ditto, and while I was ecstatic for the coming of FIENDship #1, I had already grown fond of him myself. His intelligence, design, affect on the Crystal Ponies, his middle finger to Celestia with the disappearance of the Crystal Empire, and the sheer thought of him as a leering shadows really left an impression on me. FIENDship and even Siege, to an extent, were just bonuses.

[Castle Bleck 19,334]

Sombra is good yeah. Especially his hidden traps .

 

Perfect banner/flag for the King, IMO:

 

[Thrond 3,263]

Imagine if the second half of "A Canterlot Wedding" was the entire episode. Now don't imagine, because that's basically what this is, and despite a handful of issues, I can't help but love it. Admittedly, the five seasons following this have robbed it of some of its grandeur, but this is still up there as one of the best adventures the show has to offer, in part because of just how much it leaves to the imagination. The Crystal Empire itself is new and mysterious, and there's so much about it which we never learn. The setting has an allure because of how little we know about it, and even the world building is much more imaginative than usual. And that mystery also gives Sombra almost all of his appeal: what did he do to the Crystal Ponies? Why is he made of smoke? What was up with his reign? His generic villain lines take away some of that menace, but certainly not all of it. 

Plus, a lot of this episode is just really funny. Not all of Rarity and Pinkie's scenes work, but Rainbow, Applejack, and Spike are all consistently fantastic, and while Fluttershy is used sparingly, she's great as well. There's some really nice character moments between Twilight and Spike in addition to the jokes, but Twilight is the weak link here, because I feel the whole test subplot is mostly superfluous aside from setting up that godawful finale. Because of this, it sometimes feels like Twilight isn't taking the situation seriously enough, because there's way more at stake than simply failing a test. Still, it's really entertaining to see her casting all sorts of weird spells, and her love of books and research is as endearing as always. I still miss this Twilight, but this isn't necessarily her best showing. 

Still, I actually think this one of the best-paced two-parters, and in that department it's a big improvement over season 2. The episode naturally flows between drama and comedy, and every big twist is both natural and exciting. I really like how we're first led to believe the Empire only needs a Crystal Heart, just to have the rug pulled out from under us later when we learn there's a specific Crystal Heart which needs to be found. Even the superfluous test scenes and Twilight's vision in the castle basement go on exactly as long as they need to and not a moment more. And while this episode isn't quite as visually impressive as it was at the time, that's only because of how good the animation has gotten in later seasons. The Empire still looks wonderful. 

Some two-parters can feel a little thematically sparse, but this one has a really nice moral about self-sacrifice at the end, just to put the cherry on the cake. All in all, I still like this one a lot, and think it doesn't deserve the hate it gets. 

Score: 

Entertainment: 9/10

Characters: 7/10

Themes: 9/10

Story: 7/10

Overall: 80/100

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

I dont get why some people dislike Sombra. Sombra is one of the most terrifying villain that the show has produced, if whatever he had done has been implied in this premiere still doesn't convince you, Cutie Remark confirmed he is  the most messed up villain who has the worst alternative universe beside the fallout one.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

48 minutes ago, Lambdadelta said:

I dont get why some people dislike Sombra. Sombra is one of the most terrifying villain that the show has produced, if whatever he had done has been implied in this premiere still doesn't convince you, Cutie Remark confirmed he is  the most messed up villain who has the worst alternative universe beside the fallout one.

The thing about Sombra is that there is a fair amount of subtlety to his character (not talking about his design). What we see in the episode belies a lot of details that can be easily missed.

1. The traps he sets up like hidden stairway under the floor, the door that shows your worst fear if you use the wrong type of magic, the hidden stairway that leads to the top of the tower, and the floor that acts as an alarm that held the Crystal heart all show that he was AMAZING when it came to planning. It shows us that he is cunning, and quite intelligent. Had Spike not been with Twilight, Sombra would've won.

2. Along with his intelligence is his general cruelty. Along with the crystal ponies having PTSD whenever his name is mentioned, as you mentioned, his using them as soldiers in a war shows us a string of cruelty that not even Chrysalis, Tirek, or Nightmare Moon have shown in the show (tho Chrysalis comes close in the comics). It's one thing to deceive your own kind like Chrysalis did with the changelings, but using your own citizens has canon-fodder is something else entirely.

3. While his portrayal in the episode is criticized, I thought it was handled quite well. Why does he do so little outside the wall? Because he doesn't have to; there's no need to waste energy against a shield he seems to have already tested. How about when the shield was open? Because Cadence and the Mane 6 are unknown elements and there's little need for a risky move. Besides; I feel he made a calculated move with his horn being cut allowed him to spread his influence in the Empire. Again; he is quite cunning.

Overall, Sombra is my favorite villain and favorite character overall. I can see why people were underwhelmed by him, but I think he stands up to criticism and the like quite well if examined properly.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

22 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

Overall, Sombra is my favorite villain and favorite character overall. I can see why people were underwhelmed by him, but I think he stands up to criticism and the like quite well if examined properly.

As a character, Sombra may have very little but as an effective villain, he and Starlight are the most effective villains of the show.

[Castle Bleck 19,334]

On 9/12/2017 at 10:57 AM, PathfinderCS said:

Overall, Sombra is my favorite villain and favorite character overall.

 

IMO, it's a 3-way tie between him, Discord, and Tirek.

Edited July 11, 2018 by A.V.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Just now, Lambdadelta said:

As a character, Sombra may have very little but as an effective villain, he and Starlight are the most effective villains of the show.

I would agree with that for the most part, though in terms of character I think there's plenty there. Again he doesn't do much in the show, but to me that underlies a thinker and planner, while also being ruthless and cunning. Additionally he lacks the ego that most other villains have shown. Granted he may very well have an ego of some sort; he just knows how to control it.

[Larrydog 320]

This is my favorite episode hands down because Sombra is my favorite villain in the series with the most interesting powers and aura you get from him,honestly, the only thing I wish was he had more speaking lines and we were able to see his normal form more often but besides that, I love this episode.

[Moony the Cat 3,702]

I liked this Two Parter, not as much as the last one, but it was still good. The only thing i found a tiny bit sad, was the fact that Sombra didnt do all that much. Except for the past, he was locked out most of the time.He was still a cool Villain, specially since he didnt talk all that much, makes him a bit more mysterious.

[Meushell 52]

Great episode.

Poor, poor Cadance. Barely any recovery time from the last episode before this all happens. It’s kind of creepy that it was a test for Twilight as Cadance suffered. I’m going to assume Celestia would have stepped in if she had failed. Maybe she was still recovering herself.

Aw, Dash and Fluttershy in armor.

It is a bit strange that “Have a fair” is part of the solution. I wonder how many of the crystal ponies lost families and friends that were outside of their city/empire? Do they have a chance to meet descendants of anyone they knew? 

I do sort of wished Sombra survived to attack again, but only if he remained a villain. I don’t read the comics. Are they canon? He just seemed like such a powerful, clever, and downright evil villain. No other villain has had that.

 

Edited July 13, 2018 by Meushell