S03:E05 - Magic Duel

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

That was awesome!  Best episode of S3 so far.  Gotta love the boat load of references.  Most shout-outs in a single episode ever!  I didn't see any Derpy, though.

[Party Cannon 876]

Ok looking at the episode, I can see some new canon things

 

Blood is now canon

 

There are other pony countries

 

I swear I missed something in here...

 

Hoof nails

 

Fluttershy was biting them and Trixie was using a file.

[Skullbuster 1,906]

i liked this episode quite a bit

 

evil trixie was great, and she kinda redeemed her self a little at the end

 

also 

 

twilight is best troll pony, 

[Rainbow Sparkle 70]

Oh gosh... We knew Pinkie could break the 4th wall, but... NOW TWILIGHT HAS THE MAGIC TOO OMG WUT!!!

 

ITS SPREADING! THE END IS NEIGH!!

 

OK, where the buck did that apologetic Trixie come from?  Seriously, that came completely out of left field!!!  Other than that, the episode was fantastic! 

 

 

The amulet. It said so in the episode.

Saddle Arabia.  Arabian Horses.  WAT.

I now wish to see a Mongolian analogue in the series. FEAR THE HORDES!!!

[Rarietty 632]

As soon as I saw Twilight turn AJ into a stallion I went, "I can't wait until the fanfics*sarcasm*."  And then it turned out to be fake and then I went "THANK GOD." Aside from that, this episode is going to be the most fanfic-spawning episode. EVER. 

 

This has to be a contender for my new favorite episode. Although I couldn't fully appreciate it's awesomeness due to the lagginess of the stream I was watching, the visuals were amazing, the gags were very funny, it was heartwarming at times and it seriously felt like a 22 minute movie. I didn't like Trixie much before, but this episode completely changed my thoughts about her in a good way.

 

Also, was this episode the first episode they refer to winged unicorns as alicorns?  

Edited December 1, 2012 by Rarietty

[hawkflame 3,310]

Wow, this is the most fanservicey yet by far.  Not only the return of Trixie, but also the return of

 

1) Rock farms.  (was she working for Pinkie's dad there?)

 

2) Parasprites.

 

3) Pinkie the one pony band.

 

4)Mustache spell.

 

And not to mention colt version of Applejack or Zecora as Yoda. 

 

I feel like there's a lot of stuff here that I could have missed. 

[Raritas 6,820]

That was a brilliant episode! So much continuity and humour, probably one of the best of the season so far for me anyway! I think it showed a new side to several different characters which we weren't aware of! (Not going to spoil it)

 

9.6/10 

[DashPony 359]

Ok looking at the episode, I can see some new canon things

 

Blood is now canon

 

There are other pony countries

 

I swear I missed something in here...

 

Rule 63 is now canon also

 

I loved this episode. So many references!!! And I have always liked Trixie, so i'm glad she got redeemed.

 

Also, Twilight breaking the 4th wall with Pinkie? Wat?!

[Chespin 180]

Got back from watching the latest episode, It was epic, and I liked FS slightly better, Although Trixie was a sort of a bitch, she forgave at the end... This is also the second time Pinkie's trap was shut, first was Bridle Gossip

Also, doesn't the dome Trixie put around Ponyville look familiar?

Edited December 1, 2012 by Danger Dashie

[Starswirl the Trixie 975]

Overall, decent I suppose.

 

The plotline wasn't particularly genius.  I must complement Hasbro for not destroying Trixie's character at the end (she's still arrogant, as she should be).  I would have much preferred that they spent some time actually explaining things.  The episode ended with quite a few serious plotholes.

1) Where the hell did Trixie get all that money shown at the beginning?

2) What exactly was her motive for getting it?  I know she touched on it in her first scene, but that was when she was under the influence of the amulet.

 

Overall, while Hasbro didn't ruin Trixie's character, they failed to give her proper development.  Then there's the troubling problem of if Trixieville is meant to represent a 20th century Totalitarian state.

 

All in all, the plot could have been very good, but Hasbro once more didn't properly explain characters and wrap everything up at the end.  The episode was saved by a ridiculous amount of Brony community shout-outs.

 

Oh, and R63 is now canon.

[Rainbow Sparkle 70]

Ok looking at the episode, I can see some new canon things

 

Blood is now canon

 

There are other pony countries

 

I swear I missed something in here...

 

Where was their blood?

Trixie is bad at apologizing.So why did she even want the amulet anyways if she didn't want to be corrupt and get revenge on Twilight?

 

She probably didn't know the corruption part. Probably just heard "Most Powerful magical MacGuffin" and wanted it for her revenge.

[ShyForever 284]

Ok looking at the episode, I can see some new canon things

 

Blood is now canon

 

There are other pony countries

 

I swear I missed something in here...

 

Wait, Blood? I didn't notice any blood. I guess I'll have to wait until the episode is on Youtube for me to have a look.

[akita-ken 581]

Wait, Blood? I didn't notice any blood. I guess I'll have to wait until the episode is on Youtube for me to have a look.

 Rarity's hoof had this pink/red tinge after she poked herself with the needle.

[Tom 891]

I didn't notice any blood.

Rarity's hoof was bleeding after being stabbed by a needle, and I've been ninja'd.

Edited December 1, 2012 by Tom

[ShyForever 284]

Rarity's hoof was bleeding after being stabbed by a needle, and I've been ninja'd.

 

 

I only noticed a pink circle. 

[Starswirl the Trixie 975]

Now that I think about it, the episode really didn't progress anywhere in the tale of Trixie from where Boast Busters left off.  No significant development.

 

I cannot rate this episode as "good" because Trixie was given about 20 seconds of character development at the beginning (explaining her vengeance) and another very small bit at the end.  The episode also does not present an alternative reading (or viewing) of Boast Busters, as I had hoped for.

 

By the way: If Trixie is wearing the alicorn amulet, does that mean that my avatar is now canon?

[SkyeRibbonPwny 406]

So....is there seriously no other episode where they say "alicorn?" I always thought that phrase CAME from the show. Or am i not register enough to notice.

Btw. BonBon is not Amused with trixie lol

Am i the only one disappointed that the gender bend spell wasn't real?

I wanna hear Dusk Shine.sing.

[Nas 2,873]

Well, crap. So much awesomeness.

 

First off, I almost had a heart attack when I heard the Wilhelm scream. I can't express what I felt, I've been waiting till the day the commonly-used sound effect in film history in the show, I can die happy. Big check off the list for me. I'm just so happy DHX has it in their archive now, I hope they use that in the future.

 

As for Trixie, I'm simply glad we got her back for another episode, it's been a good while and I like that they seem to be aiming for the fandom in terms of her reappearance, and I think it played out fairly. It's always good to see characters like this change from their erroneous pasts.

 

Overall, I can't really think of all the notable things from the episode, but I'll try to gather what I remember. Well, the term "alicorn" is canon, which is awesome. Those Saddle Arabian ponies look rather strange, bnut interesting. I wonder if they have cutie marks or if they're related to the master race of ponies in general. Pinkie just got Pinkier, especially at the very end. Double Rainbow Dash for the win.

 

9/10. My faith in season 3 has not decreased one bit. So much fan activity to result from this. Vectors, fanfics, art, let's do our job as bronies and create!

[dekutree64 713]

Well, that wasn't quite as awesome as I was hoping (no major story arc development, and Celestia never said anything), but it was still pretty awesome. New country, Saddle Arabia, with full size horses! I wonder if it's only the rulers, or if it's a whole country of horses. Also, canonization of the term alicorn. And Zecora does magic without a horn, and apparently without magical items either? I didn't like her use of the line "unlearn what you have learned", though... what has Twilight ever learned wrong?

 

Fluttershy was pretty cute, though scary when she threatened Twilight at the beginning. I wish she could have cuddled Rainbow at the end instead of Spike... but I guess they were too afraid of shipping wars if they went that far.

 

Was there any meaning behind Trixie being afraid of wheels? Her old mobile home had wheels, and got smashed by the Ursa... but it's not like it was broken due top having wheels, so I'm not sure if the trauma of that would be related.

 

Overall, very good episode. Definitely enjoyed more than Too Many Pinkies and One Bad Apple.

[Jokuc 8,173]

I only noticed a pink circle. 

Yeah I agree. I could not see any blood, it just got a bit red.

 

I just gotta say, the episode did feel a little bit rushed, it's sad that it couldn't have been a two-parter :I

[~Asuka <3~ 867]

Oh my god, this episode was awesome.  I love how Trixie was even meaner this time around.  But I still love her as a character.  

 

The 'Great and Apologetic Trixie' thing at the end made my day.  This episode gets a 10/10 from me.  

[Radiance64 7,053]

And we're done!

Wow, what an episode! I'm not kidding when I say Magic Duel could be one of my favorites in the whole series, surpassing even Lesson Zero when it comes to single episodes. Trixie's return was handled extremely well, making her a real threat instead of the annoying pony she was in Boast Busters. The alicorn amulet was mysterious and cool, plus alicorn is now a canon term which is nice. And Trixie wasn't the only continuity we got, this episode had it all over, which I love- references to Pinkie once being a rock farmer, parasprites, Pinkie's music abilities, Snips and Snails overworshipping Trixie, Fluttershy's struggle with assertiveness- returning elements are always awesome to me. Also, Twilight being trained in magic by Zecora had to be the most awesome Star Wars reference ever. Both duels were fun to watch, with the second being way cooler with all the stuff Twilight just threw out there, all just to trick Trixie! All in all, I really could not believe how apologetic Trixie was in the end, I really don't think I hate her anymore, maybe. My only gripe is that I wish there was more of this wonderful episode! Also would've been cool to see more of the Saddle Arabians, but oh well. But really, those are minor nitpicks of an absolutely phenomonal episode, after the Crystal Empire being great and the two afterwards not being super excellent, this was truly what I was waiting for. Potential best episode of the series if you ask me!

[SkyeRibbonPwny 406]

That was a brilliant episode! So much continuity and humour, probably one of the best of the season so far for me anyway! I think it showed a new side to several different characters which we weren't aware of! (Not going to spoil it)

 

9.6/10

oh you.better bucking spoil it. what do you know? who do you work for?! Seriously though pm me if u don't wanna spoil things.in thread <3

[Raritas 6,820]

oh you.better bucking spoil it. what do you know? who do you work for?! Seriously though pm me if u don't wanna spoil things.in thread <3

 

Wait Wut? lol

[PoisonClaw 8,164]

Wow...I didn't think it was possible, that no episode could ever reclaim the #1 spot on my list of favorite episodes. Oh how wrong I was!

 

First off, the intro was surprisingly dark. Besides the fact that term "Alicorn" is now canon, the whole "mysterious shop" scene seemed almost out of some fantasy movie rather than a show about rainbow colored equines. I missed a bit of the beginning because of my laptop failing, but the whole magic duel scene was rather nice. The brief line explaining why Celestia couldn't just fly in and fix everything (while giving us a new location known as Saddle Arabia) was a genius addition and probably silenced a few nitpickers in a single move.

 

After that we had the return of Zecora, who fully fulfills her previously theorized role of being Twilight's mentor in glorious fashion. Again, none of the mane 6 were excluded from this episode and every single one of them acts perfectly in-character given the current situation.

 

Then we had the rematch. I'm not kidding when I say I nearly fell out of my chair when  AJ was "turned" into a stallion. Rule 63 has escaped the internet! Panic! 

 

Lastly, I've heard a few people making the same old complaint of "the ending was rushed!" that always seem to pop up seconds after these kind of episodes, though more common after the two-parters. Personally I liked the ending. Maybe it's because my favorite fan-interpretation of Trixie was the Trixie seeking forgiveness for her previous actions, and on Twilight's part she actually had to think about it for a moment, though the fact that she did forgive her shows that despite everything's that happened, Twilight doesn't hold grudges which may very well be the moral of the episode. Trixie held a grudge for all this time and look how that turned out!  

Edited December 1, 2012 by PoisonClaw