S03:E01+02 - The Crystal Empire

[Flicker Sweet 3,391]

Okay I just saw the gak commercial....damn that's annoying

[Fubz 300]

Okay I just saw the gak commercial....damn that's annoying

 

Especially when it ran 10 times in the hour D: Gakgakgak, there should be a GakCat, yknow like Nyan Cat, except Gak

[Flicker Sweet 3,391]

 

You're wrong. It's perfectly possible to come up with an original villain, aside from making a cackling mess.

I'm going to go ahead and prove that right here:

Sure, it's not possible to have Sombra in person overly much at the beginning of the episode, mainly because of the force field. It would have had a way more profound effect, though, if Sombra had managed to trick his way in instead of just waiting outside and cackling. Say. for example, planting an impostor crystal heart inside the palace. From Celestia's description, it can easily be inferred that Sombra was a tyrant, but also that he was ruthless and cunning(You can also see this very well when he finally does show up. notice the abject terror on the ponies' faces?) Why not display those traits a bit more in the rest of the episode?

 

Sombra, as I see it, could easily have been a real monster- and not all too similar to Discord or NMM. Cunning, but not necessarily a puppeteer controlling everything from the background. As it was, he was way too one-dimensional to give much substance to the episode, other than providing a sense of urgency.

 

That's a fair point I suppose but then we would've had a really long drawn out season premier like four parts long you know?

 

 

 

Especially when it ran 10 times in the hour D: Gakgakgak, there should be a GakCat, yknow like Nyan Cat, except Gak

 

NO

[Rarietty 632]

If you didn't see the commercials during the premiere you should be very glad.

I'm kind of sad I didn't see the reaction to it, mostly because I turned off the chat in Bronystate as it was lagging too much. Edited November 10, 2012 by Rarietty

[Starswirl the Trixie 975]

I know that the episode premier discussion thread may not be the best place to use it, but did anyone notice the "on future episodes..." spot?

 

Firstly, cloned Pinkie is confirmed. We got another shot from Wonderbolt's training. And then this:

Trixie statue in the midground, and is that a Discord banner in the background? Now the apocalyptic pictures make more sense. I'm starting to get a bit worried, and not just because I like Trixie. If Discord comes back, what if his character is completely changed, and he is now just a typical, evil for the purpose of being evil brute? I fear that Trixie may end up being characterized as "I was a bit sad over being upstaged in Ponyville, so I decided to go on a murderous rampage of destruction!" Again, these are just fears inspired by a screenshot, but I am worried.

 

Hasbro is bringing back Discord and Trixie by popular demand, which I'm fine with. But what if, to bring the two back, Hasbro ruins the things that make their characters interesting? I guess we'll have to wait and see...

[Shanks 10,816]

You're right, this gives more mystery to Sombra, which I think is good, we know how evil the last characters were, but we don't know that much about what Sombra would do again, suspenseful uncertainty.

I don't think so, if they were going for that angle they could have done a much better job. King Sombra just seems more like your generic "muhahahahahahahaha you can't stop me now" villain except with considerably less dialogue and background. This whole two parter was rushed, yeah the lesson in the episode was good and I like the forshadowing of greater things to come for Twilight but King Sombra could use a lot more work.

[DrOphthalmos 497]

At the end, any living creature within the Crystal Empire is sparkly. Now I know that my sparkly Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash are their Crystal Empire versions.

 

Ok, that's a stretch but I feel the need to justify my sparkly blind bag ponies.

[Batbrony 16,052]

Didn't you watch the livestream lol? gak gak gak!

 

Nah but it was a commercial about some weirdass slime kid toy and it went over and over again lol

 

GAK GAK GAK

 

OH MAN, I GOTTA GO NOW AND GET ME SOME GAK!!!! THAT STUFF LOOKS BUCKING AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

 

And yay, Spike finally saved Equestria!!!!! Oh, that was absolutely epic; the whole time that he was jumping down from the tower and Sombra was going after him, I imagine his thoughts went something like this:

"Buck me, buck me, BUCK ME!!!!!!!"

Shining Armor chucking Cadence made me lol so hard!

"OK honey, just like we practiced. 1, 2, 3, GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"

Also, I'll be the first pony to say it, but seriously, Cadence never thought to check the top of the castle's tower? I'm just saying, she's got wings. I guess you could argue she was busy keeping that shield up the entire time, but she didn't even notice it when she first flew in? IDK, I feel like she would've at least had 5 minutes at some point to check!!!

[Homura Akemi 974]

I slept through it. I thought it aired at 10 but it was 7:30 on the Hub. I take advantage of the Hub since I have it.

 

God I hate myself right now.

 

EDIT: I have it DVR'd! Nevermind!

Edited November 10, 2012 by Dίsmajo

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

I know that the episode premier discussion thread may not be the best place to use it, but did anyone notice the "on future episodes..." spot?

 

Firstly, cloned Pinkie is confirmed. We got another shot from Wonderbolt's training. And then this:

Trixie statue in the midground, and is that a Discord banner in the background? Now the apocalyptic pictures make more sense. I'm starting to get a bit worried, and not just because I like Trixie. If Discord comes back, what if his character is completely changed, and he is now just a typical, evil for the purpose of being evil brute? I fear that Trixie may end up being characterized as "I was a bit sad over being upstaged in Ponyville, so I decided to go on a murderous rampage of destruction!" Again, these are just fears inspired by a screenshot, but I am worried.

-snip-

Hasbro is bringing back Discord and Trixie by popular demand, which I'm fine with. But what if, to bring the two back, Hasbro ruins the things that make their characters interesting? I guess we'll have to wait and see...

 

I wouldn't mind so much if they brought back Trixie, but bringing back Discord for only an episode would basically make the S2E1 and E2 worthless to the story, as he just get out of his prison again. I can't wait to see what the necklace on Trixie does and also seeing the fillies :3

[Opalicious 799]

I watched it on the Hub as soon as it came out. What do you guys think? I think it resembled 'A Canterlot Wedding' when it came to the songs. There's a song near the beginning and slightly toward the middle, while there's a song that begins and ends, but then has a finishing verse near the end. It think, compared to the other two part episodes, it wasn't nearly as good as the Season 2 Finale or the Season 2 Premiere, which were by far the best of the best, but it comes about level with the Season 1 Premiere. The villain only got about a minute of screen time in pony form, and a few minutes in total, and I was a bit confused at how the Crystal Ponies' coat turns back and forth between sparkly and dull. Overall, I enjoyed it, and it was full of cliffhangers.

[DrOphthalmos 497]

Also, I'll be the first pony to say it, but seriously, Cadence never thought to check the top of the castle's tower? I'm just saying, she's got wings. I guess you could argue she was busy keeping that shield up the entire time, but she didn't even notice it when she first flew in? IDK, I feel like she would've at least had 5 minutes at some point to check!!!

Well, what if Twilight had allowed Rainbow Dash to help her look like RD suggested? Oh hey Rainbow Dash, can you fly up to the top of the castle and see if there's anything up there?

[DorianTail 4]

Only one thing to say: Gak is best Villian XD

 

By the way, really good start. I'm not disappointed (Meh, maybe a lil for Sombrero King)

Edited November 10, 2012 by DorianTail

[Batbrony 16,052]

Well, what if Twilight had allowed Rainbow Dash to help her look like RD suggested? Oh hey Rainbow Dash, can you fly up to the top of the castle and see if there's anything up there?

 

BUT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, TWILIGHT HAS TO DO THIS ON HER OWN!!!!!! TROLLESTIA SAID SO!!!!!!!!!! EVEN THOUGH ULTIMATELY IT DIDN'T MATTER IN THE END, SHE SAID SO TO TWILIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

 

So once again, Trollestia finds a way to make the ponies job a living hell!!!! ALL HAIL THE BENEVOLENT TROLLESTIA, AND HER TROLLING WAYS!!! :lol:

[Thewookie Wooker 64]

I know that the episode premier discussion thread may not be the best place to use it, but did anyone notice the "on future episodes..." spot?

 

Firstly, cloned Pinkie is confirmed. We got another shot from Wonderbolt's training. And then this:

Trixie statue in the midground, and is that a Discord banner in the background? Now the apocalyptic pictures make more sense. I'm starting to get a bit worried, and not just because I like Trixie. If Discord comes back, what if his character is completely changed, and he is now just a typical, evil for the purpose of being evil brute? I fear that Trixie may end up being characterized as "I was a bit sad over being upstaged in Ponyville, so I decided to go on a murderous rampage of destruction!" Again, these are just fears inspired by a screenshot, but I am worried.

 

Hasbro is bringing back Discord and Trixie by popular demand, which I'm fine with. But what if, to bring the two back, Hasbro ruins the things that make their characters interesting? I guess we'll have to wait and see...

 

I would see more likely that an angry Trixie wishes she could be in charge of the world sort of event and Discord uses his chaotic magic to grant it. Then he slowly waits as he Trixie caused chaos strengthens him enoughto free himself.

[Radiance64 7,053]

Those of you complaining about the Gak commercials clearly don't watch the Hub enough.

Anyway, the future episodes preview was awesome, can't wait to see what happens.

[Opalicious 799]

I would see more likely that an angry Trixie wishes she could be in charge of the world sort of event and Discord uses his chaotic magic to grant it. Then he slowly waits as he Trixie caused chaos strengthens him enoughto free himself.

 

You guys are starting to sorry me. Something tells me all this will take place in episode 5 or so. Why, you ask? Because the name of that episode is 'Magic Duel', and here's the description:

 

When Trixie returns to Ponyville, she defeats Twilight and banishes her from town.

[HomuraBL 851]

Season 3 Opener Review:

Plot: It had a good plot. It was nice and simple. Slightly predictable, but made up for it with a lot of laughs. However, lack of a lot of backstory really hinders these episodes a little. Though, being a gateway to what may become of Twilight, I'll give it a little more credit.

Villain: Yes, the villain was meh. Probably on the bottom of most people list for favorite mlp villains. However, was he suppose to be some incredibly evil guy like discord or chrysalis? For one thing, he only wanted to take over one city. All the other villains wanted the entire Equestria. So, I think he was suppose to be a minor villain. He wasn't suppose to be that mind blowing villain.

Comedy: Incredibly funny. Pinkie was excellent as always. Twilight had some good laughs as well. Rarity got some fun as well.

Songs: Beautiful as always. Liked the reprised version of the failure song the most.

Character: I already mention King Sombra. Everyone felt in character and there was definitely some good character development going on.

Overall a pretty solid episode. I have a feeling that this season will be more focused on a story ark. Can't wait to see what is also in store for Twilight.

Next episode should be good. Especially since it is dealing with both Pinkie and something from mythology.

These two episodes get a good 7/10

[Hawk 100]

As good as this opening to Season 3 was, I will have to say that yeah... Sombra is probably the worst villain in the show so far. Barely any dialogue, not much interaction with the protagonists, and he had a life span shorter than that of a redshirt. Also I was really hoping King Sombra would have a song, we could use more villain songs. *prays for a solo by Discord*

 

But I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season goes, some of the stuff in the previews looks interesting.

[Starswirl the Trixie 975]

I would see more likely that an angry Trixie wishes she could be in charge of the world sort of event and Discord uses his chaotic magic to grant it. Then he slowly waits as he Trixie caused chaos strengthens him enoughto free himself.

 

Still, the implications would be the same. Discord suddenly becomes much more "evil" if the world he creates isn't the entropic world of chocolate rain we saw in S2E1-2, but instead a post-apocalyptic nightmare. And Hasbro could do such fascinating things with Trixie's character; she could actually be a "neutral" character. But I fear that Hasbro will continue with "Trixie's personality is based only around having a massive narcissistic complex.", even though the ending of "Boast Busters" revealed that Trixie is a far deeper character than many give her credit for.

[Boxxi The Brony 119]

I know that the episode premier discussion thread may not be the best place to use it, but did anyone notice the "on future episodes..." spot?

 

Firstly, cloned Pinkie is confirmed. We got another shot from Wonderbolt's training. And then this:

Trixie statue in the midground, and is that a Discord banner in the background? Now the apocalyptic pictures make more sense. I'm starting to get a bit worried, and not just because I like Trixie. If Discord comes back, what if his character is completely changed, and he is now just a typical, evil for the purpose of being evil brute? I fear that Trixie may end up being characterized as "I was a bit sad over being upstaged in Ponyville, so I decided to go on a murderous rampage of destruction!" Again, these are just fears inspired by a screenshot, but I am worried.

 

Hasbro is bringing back Discord and Trixie by popular demand, which I'm fine with. But what if, to bring the two back, Hasbro ruins the things that make their characters interesting? I guess we'll have to wait and see...

 

Wait, THAT EPISODE IS NEXT SATURDAY! Alright, Super happy now! Well if it 'that' episode with Trixie statues and filly Mane 6 and you said, Discord? I hope that EXACT EPISODE IS NEXT WEEKEND!

[SongBrony 419]

I loved the episodes! Second one was definitely better, but that's where everything happened. I love King Sombra. While he may not have spoke a lot, for some reason I loved him. GAH there was so much foreshadowing! Can't wait to see the rest of the episodes with more Luna hopefully

[Key Gear 6,663]

Well, what can I say. It's about time that the new season started! I was going pretty crazy without getting my fix having any new episodes. I think that my craziness was mostly due to the fact that I knew we had fresh episodes right around the corner, but I still had to wait for them. It was incredibly exasperating, but now my wait is over...

 

I'm pretty tired, so I think that will keep my remarks on the episode to a minimum. The first think I have to say is that the music was really good. When I say this, I mean both the background music and the actual songs. The background music was fantastic for carrying the mood of the episode forward. The songs were really quite catchy. My favorite song was the Crystal Ballad (I think that's what it's called).

 

Outside of the music, I found that the mass amnesia that affected the crystal ponies was suitably disturbing. That scene with the librarian was especially weird. When she asked them to let her know if they had found anything, my thoughts were "I don't think so". I was beginning to think that the crystal ponies were actually going to be, at least to some degree, antagonists. That was a nice touch.

 

Actually, a lot of things were nice touches. I liked the dialog between characters. The interactions between all of the mane 6 really seemed to be quite polished. I think that it's fair to say that the writers are beginning to show a high degree of mastery over their material. I really can't wait to see how things work out as the season goes forward.

 

Really, the little interactions counted for a lot. AJ sending RD to do something else when RD was scaring off crystal ponies. RD actually listening (with the classic reference to her own awesomeness, of course). Pinkie behaving uniformly crazily and the other mane 6 reacting. Shining Armor being protective of Cadance. And... That jousting.... None of these things were really critical to the plot, but I find that these touches add much-needed flavor to the characters.

 

Speaking of character interactions... You know, there have been a few threads lately in which folks discussed the possibility that Celestia is grooming Twilight to be her successor. I reserved my opinion on that because I want to see how things played out in S3. Well, I think it goes without saying that there is more evidence of that.

 

The lesson that was learned in this episode really does seem like the kind of lesson that you would teach someone destined for leadership. Basically, it all boiled down to a quick lesson in Delegation 101. If you can't do it yourself, don't mess over the entire project by trying to do it yourself anyway. Take advantage of the talents and resources of those in your team. The perfect lesson for the future ruler of an empire?

 

I appreciate the fact that we continue to see the progression from a sort of dorky, uncertain Twilight towards a character that is more assured of herself and, uniformly, more capable. I hope that we see a similar level of development for the other mane 6 characters (Rainbow Dash could really use another Sonic Rainboom episode to add some depth to her character and I would really love to see her take on the role of playing big sister to Scootaloo).

 

Now for something completely different... This episode was really quite dark. Crystal pony slavery? Dark magic? A door that reveals your worst fear? Frankly, I was really quite impressed. It looks as though some of the darkness that we saw in season two is definitely going to be carrying over into season three. I think that's a good thing.

 

With that said, I was quite disappointed with how quickly Sombra was dispatched. Given his excellent VA and his remarkably malevolent presence (slavery, really? wut??) I kind of expected to see something more from him then maniacal laughter and some hovering mist. Instead, I was remarkably underwhelmed. Then he was nuked in the end. It just seems like a waste of a perfectly good villain.

 

Seriously, every time Sombra appeared on screen, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for something, anything to happen. I really did want to see some type of awesome villain smack down. I kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting... And then the show was over. With that said, I'm really not particularly disappointed by this because I see that the production values of the show remained intact between seasons. The future looks incredibly bright...

 

You know, a lot of folks have been talking about how the community is shrinking, the bad things are outweighing the good things, and other negative stuff like that. Frankly, I don't believe it. If this episode is indicative of where we're heading, then I think now is a dang good time to be a brony.

 

I can't wait until the next episode...

[Wingnut 6,988]

Could RD have just flown to the top of the castle? I doubt it was that simple. Twilight ended up finding the way to the top of the castle only by trial and error and after overcoming some of Sombra's booby traps. If a pegasus tried to fly directly into the tower, she likely would've been teleported to the doorway of fear or someplace else.

 

All in all, a good start to season 3. I'm getting a sense that MLP:FiM was originally scheduled for three seasons just in case it needed to be cancelled early. But because it will most likely go on, they may have to change gears now to stretch out what would've been an early series ending story arc.

[AmateurFish07 16]

Congratulations on a happy day!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUS6fME5pL0