S03:E10 - Keep Calm and Flutter On

[HomuraBL 851]

A lot of people are saying that the ending should've been extended. I disagree. 

 

It should've been the middle. Because then we could have more scenes of Fluttershy trying to be friends with Discord so the ending would make more sense. 

She didn't really treat him like a friend. She just called him that. :/

[Wingnut 6,741]

Lastly, this pretty much is a big nope to any past Discord and Celestia friendship thing.

Maybe, maybe not.  It's still not clear how Princess Celestia knew Discord had any redeeming qualities in his personality. 

 

Did Discord clearly say Fluttershy was the only friend he ever had as opposed to his only friend in the present?

 

EDIT:  I just watched the encore on Sunday morning.  He did say Fluttershy was his only friend ever.  If Princess Celestia was never Discord's friend or lover in the past, then that makes her prediction that Fluttershy could befriend him even more astounding. 

Edited January 20, 2013 by Wingnut

[NavelColt 22,877]

That's going a bit far don't you think? I mean it wasn't a bad episode at all, but it does not deserve to be called one of the best, at least not in my opinion.

It's not 'going too far' if it's opinion. That's all there is to it :3 What you don't care for doesn't mean everyone else shares your views.

 

>Also, oh look, no Starswirl rumors coming true everypony~

[GuillermoGage 246]

Discord is like Fluttershy's abusive boyfriend.

But that is what Angel is there for. This episode could have gone a lot worse indeed. It could have been lame. I am glad to finally get a worthy Fluttershy episode.

[Dreadmallon 353]

Poor John DeLancie, seems like he's cursed to play Q (or a role like it) for the rest of his life. XD At least we get more Discord, and now I'm curious why Celestia needs his magic...

 

 

I know this isn't within the show's borders as a kid show, but my initial thought was honestly self-defense. With the changelings only being blown away once, they are bound to return.

[noplsno 124]

ahh! how is this not on the internet yet. I'm so eager to see this new episode. Its a fluttershy episode!!!! `-`  Does anyone know where i can find it! bLAHH

[PoisonClaw 8,155]

Well...that was impressive. This was another one of those episode that could have easily turned out horribly, or at the least only a decent episode. Where to begin...

 

Well, obviously Discord is in top form here (was anyone expecting anything less?) and even faced with the elements, he's still a snarky prankster. To try and keep track of all the great moments of this episode would be impossible considering that this is Discord we're talking about here, and the fact that I couldn't stop laughing for a good chunk of the episode. But while I could easily fill up an entire post with the good parts of this episode, I think I'll tackle what I'm sure most people will no doubt have a problem:

 

The ending. 

 

Now, claims of a rushed ending (especially those involving villains like Discord) have always popped up after episodes like these. I'm not going to deny that the climax of this episode did move rather fast. However, and I said the same thing about the Canterlot Wedding ending, the ending of this episode didn't completely come out of left field and was actually well handled throughout the episode. Allow me to explain.

 

For most of the episode, Discord acts like...well, Discord and generally uses Fluttershy as some means to an ends as he explains to Angel. No noticeable change can be seen up until near the end of the dinner when Fluttershy calls Discord her "friend". The look on Discord's face says it all: that may very well be the first time anyone has ever seen him as anything more than a chaotic evil monster. I have no doubt that the theme of this episode was that nothing is inherently evil and even characters like Discord can be redeemed.

 

Now, let's look at this from Discord's perspective. Has anyone ever questioned why he acts the way he does? Is he just evil because he's a spirit of chaos  or does he only act how others expect him to act: as a cold and heartless monster who sees the hearts of others as nothing more to be toyed with? Then we have the scene after Discord freezes Sweet Apple Acres and finally works Fluttershy's last nerve, causing Discord to finally utter something may very well have been at the back of his mind: Fluttershy's been the only friend he's ever known. Having Discord say those words out loud hit him harder than the combined weight of an anvil, piano and a building's worth of bricks put together, a fact made very clear by, again, the look on his face. This makes his sudden Face Heel Turn seem all the more believable, though it is shown that he still retains a little of he previous trickster attitude in the end. 

 

After that, we had Discord drop the tile of the show *insert Peter Griffin Title Drop here*.  

 

Last thing I'd like to mention is now the fact that the Mane 6 now have their respective Elements in their possessions. Do I smell the hint of a potential Chekhov's Gun approaching?

 

To sum up, I think this episode was handled really well for a concept that could have turned easily  disastrous in the blink of an eye. Now that I think about it, I think this song pretty much sums of the episode perfectly:

[Pony Of The Month 534]

That's going a bit far don't you think? I mean it wasn't a bad episode at all, but it does not deserve to be called one of the best, at least not in my opinion.

Well, every single episode of this series has mixed reviews. I've even heard people call Spike At Your Service the best episode ever, and that was the weakest episode of season 3 in my opinion. To each their own I suppose.

[Mile high 61]

It was a good episode but the end seemed rushed. I know for a fact the there is going to be a shit lode of fan fic's for this episode.

I thought discord was going turn everything back to normal and leave ponyville forever all sad and stuff, and then everypony goes after him and becomes his friend then he turns good. All in all it was awesome but it would have Been better if it was a 2 parter

[Twilight Circuits 603]

man oh man! This episode had so much awesome! RainbowDash was so bossy and a b!#^h I was like wow RD, like wtf... LOL  Then Discord the ultimate troll!!! Eating paper to later find out it was the pages from the spell books! The "Like a Sir" meme! hahah i laughed so much in this episode! That discord lamp is now going to be a highly saught after item. ahahahahahah   There was so much win in this episode!!!

[WolfEdge 75]

I thought the episode was great. Comedy gold from Discord, as i expected, and I wasn't entirely sure how they were going to "reform" him. I did cringe when Twilight mentioned the existence of a reform spell, but I laughed out loud when I connected the dots and literally yelled "HE ATE THEM!"

 

While I was really expecting that he would just be like, "I just lost the one and only friend I've ever had....IDGAF, I'M DISCORD!" it wouldn't have really made sense otherwise. I mean, what was the other option, being stonified again?

 

Though I wish he messed with them at the very end just to show that he's still chaos-man extraordinaire. At least he mentioned that he would do good "...most of the time...."

 

Overall, I liked it. The statement of chaotic neutrality (or good, even) could have been more clear, and would have been more satisfying, but I still liked because at least he didn't go full on goody-goody.

 

Agreed, I was sitting down thinking Discord was a mastermind when I realized the reform spells were gone. Bonus points for disposal method. XD (Reform spells... should those even BE legal? They sound so... so downright evil to me.... *Shudders*)

 

But before that, him eating paper in front of Fluttershy made me think he was simply weirding her out/trolling her hard. Which in a sense he was. lol And same!--- I was SO hoping for a last minute prank too at the end! It's a downer he didn't. But we'll be seeing him again, (soon, hopefully.) so that makes up for it.

[Twilight Circuits 603]

I just thought of this actually. But did anypony consider that Discord is now considered a main part of the show's character's in that he'll be making appearences a lot more often?

[Batbrony 15,994]

Oh wow, it sure is good to have new episodes again!!!  The return of Discord was about as epic as I could've hoped it would be, so let's get down to this review and look at just what was so great about "Keep Calm and Flutter On".

 

Well, first of all, this was a great Fluttershy episode, perhaps the best yet, because, unlike most of her other episodes, which have usually dwelt on her own insecurity or hidden strengths, this episode is possibly the first Fluttershy episode to ever really focus on her greatest strength, that being, her kindness.  Now that I think about it, the last time her kindness got this much attention as a part of who she is was possibly in the first episode of Season 2, and I can see why, because it is by no means always an easy element to show on display, as this episode stands testament to.  Throughout the whole episode, I think it was quite easy for both the Mane 6 and the audience to assume that Fluttershy was simply being gullible, but at the end of the episode, I realized that that simply wasn't the case.  She is simply so kind, so patient, so willing to extend a friendly hoof to anypony and keep her cool for so long (hence the name "Keep Calm and Flutter On"), that, just as Celestia predicted, she really was the only pony capable of reforming Discord in the end, because, in all actuality, she probably was the first pony ever to extend a hoof of friendship to Discord.  It was awesome seeing that strength of hers getting highlighted, as well as seeing just how far it took to push her to the point that she wouldn't be somepony's friend, because once her friendship was withdrawn, Discord finally understood just how much it would hurt to lose the first pony to ever try to friend him.  Her anger at the end also confirmed that she most certainly understood Discord the whole time and was on edge throughout her attempts to reform him, rather than just being gullible, and that made me even more impressed with both her intelligence, but even more so with her genuine kindness.  Fluttershy, you are and always shall be the true embodiment of the element of kindness!!! 

 

Next, Discord of course!!!  This long-awaited return was as epic as I think anypony could've hoped it would be, and I must say, I was not disappointed.  As any good and proper god of chaos, he jumped right back into the trolling from where he left off, and boy oh boy was that hilarious and infuriating all at once!!!  From being Fluttershy's house guest, the most hilarious dinner party ever, and almost destroying Sweet Apple Acres even, Discord was all over the place, and his powers were certainly on full display!!!  My favorite had to be his trolling Angel Bunny, simply because that little turd's had that coming to him for quite some time now!  His penchant for being an evil genius also was very nicely highlighted, and I'm still not even convinced that he's been 100% reformed, simply because at the very end, when Celestia mentioned to Twilight that they should keep the elements, Discord perked up his ears a bit and made a strange face, just for a second.  Still, I was happy to see him get reformed, at least for the time being, simply because of all the show's villains so far he is also hands down the most likable of the bunch.  He was quite infuriating, especially at the end, but, as the show's lesson highlighted, maybe that's simply because he's never had anypony actually offer him a hoof of friendship.  You could tell, from the very first time Fluttershy called him her friend, that he was quite taken aback by that, and when he almost cast away her friendship, he finally realized just how much that would actually mean to him, and so officially learned his first lesson of friendship.  Also, it was quite epic hearing him shout "Friendship is Magic!!!!!"     Welcome to the herd Discord!!!   John de Lancie has done it again with an outstanding performance, and hopefully now we'll get to see more of Discord in the future.  I'm quite interested to see what Celestia has in mind using his magic for; maybe it'll even come up in the season finale!!!

 

Let's see, what else did I like about this episode?  The lesson about how (most) anypony can be good and reformed if they just are given a little bit of kindness and friendship extended their way was very nice, and I think the studio even did a good job of emphasizing at the same time that even the best kindness might not work sometimes, depending on the person.  I mean, heck, like I said, I'm still not totally convinced about Discord, and I doubt the show will ever pull something like this with Chrysalis, and obviously won't with Sombra (because, well, he's kinda, um, dead!   ).  Despite the fact that Fluttershy ultimately saved the day, the Mane 6's support of her being on full display was very nice to see, and was one of the few ensemble efforts from all six of them (or, rather, the other 5) that we've gotten to see this season, even if, again, it was in a supporting capacity more than anything.  The animation was simply stunning as usual, and Discord's return gave the crew at Studio B the chance to put on display some really fun animations.  My favorite animations of the episode would probably be Fluttershy's flying house and the dinner party, just because some very cool and bizarre animations were on display in both of those scenes.  The animals were hilarious!!!  Angel's antics with Discord were too funny, and I couldn't get enough of those beavers!!!  Who knew that apparently beavers cuss like sailors in their beaver-tongue?!?!    It was also very nice to once again see Celestia, because she's been a little absent from the show lately, with a lack of both letters to her and appearances from her this season.  Her wisdom (or just dumb luck   ) was on full display as well in her placing her faith in Fluttershy as the one pony of the Mane 6 who could truly reform Discord, and that was quite nice to see as well, since her wisdom doesn't always come across every time she makes an appearance.  Assuming Discord's reform keeps, as I said earlier, I'm quite interested to see how she plans on utilizing his help and magic.  Should be very interesting indeed in the overarching storyline of the show!!!

 

If there was any fault at all that I had with this episode, it would have to be the ending.  Don't get me wrong, as I said earlier, I'm happy Discord got reformed.  However, the ending felt quite rushed, and I know exactly why too!  It's because there was a WHOLE LOT of filler earlier in the episode with Discord's antics, some of them necessary, others not so much.  Does that mean I didn't enjoy the filler?  No, I did, it was hilarious throughout the whole episode!  But, as I said, the ending still felt a bit rushed; I mean, Fluttershy basically says, "You're not my friend!!!" and it takes Discord about two seconds to go "Well buck, that sucks, I guess I'm good now!". That simply felt really rushed, and it's probably one big reason that I'm still not convinced 100% that his reform is legitimate, but, time will tell.  All around, aside from that slight pacing issue at the end, the episode was great.  The humor was great, the animation was great, the characters were great, and the lesson was great!!!  Discord AND new episodes are back everypony!!!  Huzzah!!!     

Edited January 19, 2013 by Batbrony

[Mile high 61]

If some one makes that discord lamp from this episode I will pay top dollar for it that lamp is so awesome /)^3^(\

[Delzepp 2,939]

haven't seen the episode yet, can't do so until it appears on Youtube, but I'm really excited XD not only will this be the return of Discord, a very interesting character in my book, but there's finally a Fluttershy episode in season 3 XD

[DarligPegasi 315]

D: I didn't participate in the live stream because I knew there would be insane lag...But..BUT! I can't find the episode on youtube! Is there any place I can watch it? D:

[NavelColt 22,877]

Just for everyone's reference, the episode can be found here. The HD version will be available later today.

 

http://youtu.be/6mPs85Qy9Tw

 

Watched it again. Didn't seem nearly as rushed as I had first felt. That was indeed the 'not wanting it to end' bit, and getting sucked into the show, seeing what was happening next and not really noticing the time. Now that I know what happens, I'm able to focus on the details of what's going on. The reformation didn't seem too disblieveable, and with the way they left it open like this, you can guarantee Discord will be making future appearances.

[HomuraBL 851]

Now, claims of a rushed ending (especially those involving villains like Discord) have always popped up after episodes like these. I'm not going to deny that the climax of this episode did move rather fast. However, and I said the same thing about the Canterlot Wedding ending, the ending of this episode didn't completely come out of left field and was actually well handled throughout the episode. Allow me to explain.

 

I think people aren't really trying to say the ending was rushed. It was more of it barely made any sense even with Fluttershy calling him a friend. Because, thats all she did. She never actually treated him like a "friend" she was just being nice. They didn't do any friend things together. 

 

Maybe the dinner sure, but they could've done something that had a more friendship feeling to it. Anyone can really have dinner together and it could not mean a friend thing. 

 

The problem is, anyone can call someone a friend. That doesn't mean it means anything until you actually started treating them like it.

[Kenny 232]

Great episode. Not the best, but great for being written by Dave Polsky.

 

I personally don't have any problem with Discord being reformed. He still showed he was reluctant about becoming "good" at the end of the episode. And besides, this allows even more appearances from him in the future.

[featheredone 56]

hidden post content hidden

Edited June 14, 2022 by featheredone

[noplsno 124]

Hey guys. I finally found the episode!

This is for all the canadians that can't watch it on tv

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mPs85Qy9Tw

 

HAVE FUN WATCHING,Keep calm, and flutter on everypony

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

Qcord returns to the Ponyprise, to the blatant unamusement of Captain Sparkle and her crew of pony friends.

 

 

 

Twilight Sparkle: "Return that couch to its proper place!" 

 

Discord: "I have no powers. Discord, the ordinary. Discord, the liar. Discord, the misanthrope. Discord, the miserable. Discord, the desperate. What must I do to convince you ponies?" 

 

Rainbow Dash: "Die." 

 

Discord: "Oh, very clever, Rainbow. Eat any good books, lately?"

[Phaeston-e12 173]

There were some lines in the episode that people may pick up on and 'think' that they have some significant meanings to what's to come, (such as the royal summit) but considering the nature of this show, I doubt that they have any tangibility to the over-arching storyline.

 

As with the amount of knee-jerk reaction that's been going on, and considering that the show's direction became very different and independent to what Mrs. Faust had intended to do with the show, it was predictable that quite a few (regardless of their proportion within the fanbase) people were going to have a problem with the way Discord was going to be portrayed in this episode. (If you break down each lines uttered in both this episode and the first two episodes from the second season, there are some literary contradictions to be noticed)

 

But regardless of what's been shown from the previous seasons, justification can be made that the character Discord needs to be viewed with a different mindset compared to how he was introduced originally due to the comment I've made from the previous paragraph.

 

Regardless, the overall pacing of the episode wasn't bad, the opening scene of the episode felt somewhat strange and dislocated both in the animation/story department, but since I think that's due to my preference for certain things, I don't feel there's any reason for me to give much criticism on that.

 

Perhaps the justification can be made for an argument that the ending felt rushed and perhaps it is if we try to analyze the storyline strictly from the literature point of view. But considering that 'feeling' has been quite prevalent throughout the current season episodes, and the justification can be made that (as usual) it is impossible to include a storyline an adequately mature minded audience can appreciate within a 30 minute time-frame. The episode's story element was reasonable and appreciable.

 

7.5/10

Edited January 19, 2013 by Phaeston-e12

[Scootalove 10,685]

Pretty outstanding episode today. Absolutely loved it.   I am so glad Discord came back, the best villain really did well in this episode, so did the Mane 6.

[Twinhead B 482]

Last thing I'd like to mention is now the fact that the Mane 6 now have their respective Elements in their possessions. Do I smell the hint of a potential Chekhov's Gun approaching?

 

Technically, Celestia gave Twilight the elements, she didn't explicitly say they should each keep them. However, I'm more inclined to believe the elements are more of a red herring rather than a Chekhov's gun. They've used the elements three times in the series now, I imagine the writers are going to try to avoid using the Elements of Harmony as an automatic "win" everytime a conflict arises.