S03:E10 - Keep Calm and Flutter On

[Champion RD92 8,655]

Also people RD said "Dipcord" not "Dickcord" <_<

 

What the heck is a "dipcord"?

 

Is that supposed to be like "dipshit"? lmao

 

I still swear I heard "dickcord" though lol

[Tall_But_Short_37 233]

I was really worried for this episode, because I felt as though it'd be so difficult to reform Discord in a compelling way without it being terribly rushed in 22 minutes. However, it actually moved at a very nice pace for me. A LOT happened in this episode, but to me it didn't feel rushed, and I felt like there was still a plausible story left. Two-parter would've been better of course, but they did a good job with what they were given.

 

I honestly liked Fluttershy's tactic of befriending him, and their bond was really quite heartwarming to me. However, WHAT THE HECK WAS FLUTTERSHY THINKING IN GIVING UP HER ELEMENT?!?!? Sure, it may have been the only way to reform him and it did work out in the end, but if he hadn't had that sudden change of heart, she would'a just majorly screwed everyone over.

 

That said, if I look at it from another perspective, that dilemma just goes to show how much Fluttershy truly believed in the magic of friendship. When all the other ponies had given up hope on him, only she saw that the way to reform him was through friendship, the thing they're all supposed to represent. In normal circumstances (as versus Nightmare Moon and Discord the first time), the magic of friendship is shown through the Mane 6's friendship and loyalty to each other, as means to defeat an enemy. In this case, it's not their friendship with each other that matters, but their friendship (or really just Fluttershy's) with the very enemy that they're trying to defeat. The message to take from this is that anyone can see the true magic of friendship, they just need someone to show a little bit to them first.

 

It was a really good compromise how they (the creators) had Discord acknowledge the magic of friendship, but still showing that part of him the good ol' evil, chaos-loving being we all know and love. He's good now, but we'll still see many more of his light-hearted pranks (like the simply adorable gravy-dog) in the future. They reformed him without destroying his character.

 

Discord was amazing. His animation, lines, and actions were hilarious. 10/10 would watch spin-off series about.

 

Overall, this episode exceeded all my expectations. I wouldn't say it's my favorite of the season, but it was certainly an excellent episode.

 

Other things:

 

1. Fluttercord is best shipping
2. This is the 3rd time they've used the Wilhelm Scream I believe (when Angel falls when the house is spinning)
3. Dancing Candles = Beauty and the Beast reference?
4. Fourth wall = officially shattered
5. I really wonder what Discord's magic will be used for from this point on... How much will we see of him? Will he be an ally in the season finale?
6. Oh my god, so much vertigo when Discord made the house spin... I probably missed a ton of things happening in the background because I could barely look at the screen...
7. Did Pinkie put gravy on top of an apple fritter? Okay Pinkie, if that's what you like...
8. I believe it was Dip-cord, not Dick-cord 
9. Anyone speak beaver? I'm really curious what Mr Beaverton Beaveteeth said to Applejack...
10. Only Trollestia would bring back Discord and just leave...

Also, here's the HD video for those who still need it:

 

[AnonBrony 1,467]

What the heck is a "dipcord"?

 

Is that supposed to be like "dipshit"? lmao

 

I still swear I heard "dickcord" though lol

If you litsen to the Youtube vid you can hear it better. Its Dip cord. With a p. No doubt. I knows its probably difficult to tell

[crazitaco 596]

Ok we'll so I'm dull ill end up taking some heat for this but I was sort of disappointed in today's episode. After the better part of a season that I have found to be mediocre I was hoping that this episode would be its saving grace. Keep calm and flutter on? Bring back jdl? I was really thinking this would be the episode that was really meant for bronys. But it's not. It's an ok ep finally some fluttershy but still no nods to the fandom no derp. Hasbro has truly decided to give no shits about us and I say FUCK them. After 2 years of us supporting them both by watching the show and buying there shitty merch they truly don't care. No bluray for season one or two. No DVD for season 2. No show accurate toys. No derpy. And to top it off they cut season 3 in half. Also note the total lack of anything great in this season. The opener was a terrible two parter. There's been no good songs. There's no rarity ep. I am worried about the future if this show in a way I never have been before

okay, it sounds like the only reason you hated the episode is because pure fanservice is all you care about. that's just whiny and ungrateful. the world does not revolve around us, but despite that the writers of the show have constantly gone out of their way to please us, like finally giving applejack her own song and more episodes, bringing back beloved fan favorites like discord, trixie, and luna . but no,THIS is how you react? its impossible to please everyone, but atleast they are trying.

Edited January 19, 2013 by crazitaco

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

All right, let's see how this one goes. I'm trying to remain optimistic!

 

Typical Celestia, hands the ponies a disaster, says "good luck" and flies off. And they say Twilight's brother was the one guarding the kingdom. xD   I approved of Discord trolling Angel, wholeheartedly. Discord is just as I remember him, a frustrating nuisance but ultimately kind of powerless because he's not evil, just careless. Not a villain in the classic sense, but completely at odds with the ponies because he takes nothing seriously but his own amusement. De Lancie did a great job once again.

 

I was really losing hope for Discord toward the end. Rainbow Dash once again had to be the bad guy and say all the things her friends were already thinking, so I hope nobody's jumping on her. I understand her very well. I liked the ending, with the demonic beavers Discord lost track of causing a disaster at the Acres that he didn't intend, but his pride forced him to be stubborn about fixing it anyway, running him into a yellow brick wall of friendship. But I wonder what the heck they're going to do with Discord now that he's apparently reformed and running free around Ponyville.

 

I liked this episode a lot. Dave Polsky handled it much better than I thought.

[BlackWater 53]

I approved of Discord trolling Angel, wholeheartedly.

 

Rainbow Dash once again had to be the bad guy and say all the things her friends were already thinking, so I hope nobody's jumping on her. I understand her very well. I liked the ending, with the demonic beavers Discord lost track of causing a disaster at the Acres that he didn't intend, but his pride forced him to be stubborn about fixing it anyway, running him into a yellow brick wall of friendship. But I wonder what the heck they're going to do with Discord now that he's apparently reformed and running free around Ponyville.

Essentially, everything I was thinking. I'm consistently surprised by what happens in Season 3 and this episode was no exception. I loved what they did with Discord and his stubborness was realistic to his character. Character redemption seems to be a solid theme since they pretty much did it with Trixie. I'd love to see more of this in future episodes and seasons. I'm sure I'm not the only one that would like to see such 180s for other characters (i.e. Gilda and Chrysalis).

[WWAPD 126]

Another Wilhelm scream at 11:12. I never knew Angle Bunny had such a deep voice.

 

Anyways, I thought discord's performance was superb as expected, and this has got to be one of Fluttershy's best episodes.

[Nordica 179]

Loved it. Couldn't expect any better considering their time limit, and the fact that this is made for tiny weenie little girls (something I see a lot of people seem to keep forgetting). Definitely the season's funniest.

[Fridge 382]

Ah, Fluttershy was playing the long con, reform him under the threat of losing something he cares for rather than by actual threats to his person. This does prove to me who to watch out for if I were to play poker against the main 6.

 

I suspect we'll be seeing more of Discord... I also like how he inserted a 'mostly' under his breath.

 

Also it seems I wasn't the only one that noticed the Dick-cord insult.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Fridge

[Beat Shock 581]

ERMEGERSH!!!!

 

Holy. Crap... That was an insane episode. This greatness was far beyond any other episode I have seen. WHAT WILL THE FINALLY BE LIKE?!?!?!

[Zennistrad 33]

This episode's events got me thinking: could Discord not ever having a friend be what led to him becoming the Spirit of Disharmony in the first place?

 

Let's take a look back for a second. When Zecora was first introduced, all the ponies were afraid of her because she looked so different. Discord looks very different from anything else that's ever been seen in Equestria before.

 

Could Discord have only become the Spirit of Disharmony because ponies were afraid of his appearance? Did he grow to resent the ponies' friendships because none of them were willing to be friends with him?

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

This was a great and awesome episode. It was great to finally see Discord see what he was doing wrong. There goes another lesson in freedom abuse. 

[SparklingTwilight 109]

I agree with pretty much everypony else in saying it was too rushed. But I guess it doesn't matter that much anyway coz now we get to see Discord on a fairly regular basis!

[hawkflame 3,310]

Am I the only one who loved Discord in Return of Harmony but *doesn't* want him on a regular or semi regular basis?  I loved the fact that he was such a large scale, end-of-Equestria, crushing-the-Elements threat.  Now he's just been turned into a nuisance.

[Ink 191]

.

Edited May 1, 2017 by Ink

[Silverwisp the Bard 2,353]

Hated it, absolutely hated it.

Discord, the incarnation of Chaos eternal, who once made Equestria into a living hell for what we must assume was a long time with a substantial deathtoll, is set free, because Celestia wants him to take some work of her hands? With no measures taken to prevent him from indirectly taking out one of the Mane Six to prevent them from using the elements.

Celestia suddenly has a spell that prevents Discord from taking the Elements, good thing there's no precedence of Discord undoing her spells...

Fluttershy letting Discord bully Angel for the better part of the episode was horribly out of character.

And finally:

The Spirit of chaos, the most powerful being on the show only really wanted a friend... WHAT THE HELL??

This is not only far below the writing standard we're used from this show, it is Care Bears level of bad.

Oh and it also the invalidates of any future threads, since they could simply call Discord for help, which is extremely unlikely to happen, since John de Lancie is not a regular on the cast. So yeah, the rest of the series is as of now one giant plothole.

Discord was a pretty high concept for this kind of show: Not really evil, no masterplan, just near limitless power, no moral compass and chaos for chaos' sake. There was even an underlying theme of his chaos against the sisters order. All down the drain.

this episode could have worked for Gilda, maybe Sombra, hell it would have been downright fascinating with Chrysalis and exploring the changelings' point of view.

Discord out of all the villains did not need redemption, the run he had in S2 was perfectly self contained. They brought him back, not because there was a story to be told, but simply to have another episode with John de Lancie on the show.

 

So yeah, move over Mare Do Well, I've got a new least favorite episode.

 

 

Only positives are some of the Mane Six's antics and that Discord at least did not turn out to be Starswirl.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Silverwisp the Bard

[Lunar Follower 86]

I would have loved it if after the princess said " free him when your ready" they all would have just walked away and teft him there.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

Hated it, absolutely hated it.

Discord, the incarnation of Chaos eternal, who once made Equestria into a living hell for what we must assume was a long time with a substantial deathtoll, is set free, because Celestia wants him to take some work of her hands? With no measures taken to prevent him from indirectly taking out one of the Mane Six to prevent them from using the elements.

Celestia suddenly has a spell that prevents Discord from taking the Elements, good thing there's no precedence of Discord undoing her spells...

Fluttershy letting Discord bully Angel for the better part of the episode was horribly out of character.

And finally:

The Spirit of chaos, the most powerful being on the show only really wanted a friend... WHAT THE HELL??

This is not only far below the writing standard we're used from this show, it is Care Bears level of bad.

Oh and it also the invalidates of any future threads, since they could simply call Discord for help, which is extremely unlikely to happen, since John de Lancie is not a regular on the cast. So yeah, the rest of the series is as of now one giant plothole.

Discord was a pretty high concept for this kind of show: Not really evil, no masterplan, just near limitless power, no moral compass and chaos for chaos' sake. There was even an underlying theme of his chaos against the sisters order. All down the drain.

this episode could have worked for Gilda, maybe Sombra, hell it would have been downright fascinating with Chrysalis and exploring the changelings' point of view.

Discord out of all the villains did not need redemption, the run he had in S2 was perfectly self contained. They brought him back, not because there was a story to be told, but simply to have another episode with John de Lancie on the show.

 

Believe me, it's not as bad as you think it is. Discord is just like Q. The Q Continuum, while sometimes helpful to humanity, they treat them more as toys than anything else. They are not their guardian angels and are their own race. They have no obligation to serve humanity, and neither does Discord. Celestia never explicitly said that he'd be forced to obey her every command, either. Though Discord no longer views Equestria as his own little breeding ground for chaos, he's his own race and he'll only be called upon if there's a serious disaster waiting to be averted.

 

If Picard's crew was in serious trouble just about every single episode, they could call Q up from his domain and have him fix the thing with a snap of his fingers. Make the entire thing non-existent but from a viewer standpoint, that'd be extremely boring.

 

You're right on the fact that the Chrysalis reformation process would be much more interesting, though. That'd spark a lot of drama between both sides and I distrust her antics much more than Discord's.

 

Am I the only one who loved Discord in Return of Harmony but *doesn't* want him on a regular or semi regular basis?  I loved the fact that he was such a large scale, end-of-Equestria, crushing-the-Elements threat.  Now he's just been turned into a nuisance.

 

He won't. He is literally the Q of the series.

 

What's important to note is that Q himself put Picard's crew under a lot of trials to either toy around with them or to test their character. That made of course him the equivalent of a "large scale, end-of-Equestria, crushing-the-Elements threat", but only from the Enterprise's standpoint. How often did this happen? Not a lot, really. There's only a handful of Q episodes to go around but he remains a big character nonetheless thanks in part to his powers. The same thing goes for Discord, though he's less independent than Q is.

[Silverwisp the Bard 2,353]

Believe me, it's not as bad as you think it is. Discord is just like Q. The Q Continuum, while sometimes helpful to humanity, they treat them more as toys than anything else. They are not their guardian angels and are their own race. They have no obligation to serve humanity, and neither does Discord. Celestia never explicitly said that he'd be forced to obey her every command, either. Though Discord no longer views Equestria as his own little breeding ground for chaos, he's his own race and he'll only be called upon if there's a serious disaster waiting to be averted.

 

If Picard's crew was in serious trouble just about every single episode, they could call Q up from his domain and have him fix the thing with a snap of his fingers. Make the entire thing non-existent but from a viewer standpoint, that'd be extremely boring.

 

You're right on the fact that the Chrysalis reformation process would be much more interesting, though. That'd spark a lot of drama between both sides and I distrust her antics much more than Discord's.

But unlike Q, Discord is not in it for his amusement alone: He is by nature opposed to order and unity. He has no reason to join the good guys and the assumption that one pony befriending him did the trick is just mindboggling stupid.

[Emerald Flame 381]

Going into this episode, I knew that it could either be amazing or a giant disaster. I didn't want to see Discord reformed. However, this episode was amazing, and though it seemed a little rushed, his reformation was handled well. It would've been better if it was a two-parter, but Polsky made the most of the little time he got. Discord's antics were top-notch, and Fluttershy was once again shown being the embodiment of kindness, rather than the embodiment of shyness.

 

 

(Reform spells... should those even BE legal? They sound so... so downright evil to me.... *Shudders*)

 

Well, when you've been running a kingdom for over a thousand years, chances are you'll find a better way of handling political dissidents than executions and re-education camps.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

But unlike Q, Discord is not in it for his amusement alone: He is by nature opposed to order and unity. He has no reason to join the good guys and the assumption that one pony befriending him did the trick is just mindboggling stupid.

 

It's not like he's going to suddenly stop creating chaos wherever he pleases. He's just been tamed. Furthermore you're really underestimating the amount of goodness that can come from efforts of showing sympathy and understanding. Why would he not have any reason to "join the good guys", when he himself felt friendship for the very first time? You might as well disregard Twilight Sparkle being the Element of Magic with that line of reasoning.

[Doctor XFizzle 8,651]

Upon further review, Rainbow Dash says "Dip-cord" but the way her voice goes, it can very easily be heard as "Dick-cord" which I will use for my own personal amusement.

[Mr. Jaguar 1,402]

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

 

YET, he could still be revealed as Starswirl in the future, maybe there's a reason Celestia didn't tell Twilight (assuming Celestia knows). The evidence supporting the Starswirl theory makes too much sense, IMO, for him to not be Starswirl.

 

 

This episode's events got me thinking: could Discord not ever having a friend be what led to him becoming the Spirit of Disharmony in the first place?

 

Let's take a look back for a second. When Zecora was first introduced, all the ponies were afraid of her because she looked so different. Discord looks very different from anything else that's ever been seen in Equestria before.

 

Could Discord have only become the Spirit of Disharmony because ponies were afraid of his appearance? Did he grow to resent the ponies' friendships because none of them were willing to be friends with him?

That actually sounds pretty damn plausible, but I still think the Starswirl theory makes the most sense.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Mr. Jaguar

[Dr. Eggnog 203]

I really liked it.  I consider it to be more of a Fluttershy than a Discord episode, and it's my favorite Fluttershy episode yet.  I loved just how determined she was in reforming him.  Every time I thought she'd give up she didn't.  I don't think it should've been a two parter.  To me, it's just a small, sweet episode.

[sampsoninc916 27]

Hated it, absolutely hated it. Discord, the incarnation of Chaos eternal, who once made Equestria into a living hell for what we must assume was a long time with a substantial deathtoll, is set free, because Celestia wants him to take some work of her hands? With no measures taken to prevent him from indirectly taking out one of the Mane Six to prevent them from using the elements. Celestia suddenly has a spell that prevents Discord from taking the Elements, good thing there's no precedence of Discord undoing her spells... Fluttershy letting Discord bully Angel for the better part of the episode was horribly out of character. And finally: The Spirit of chaos, the most powerful being on the show only really wanted a friend... WHAT THE HELL?? This is not only far below the writing standard we're used from this show, it is Care Bears level of bad. Oh and it also the invalidates of any future threads, since they could simply call Discord for help, which is extremely unlikely to happen, since John de Lancie is not a regular on the cast. So yeah, the rest of the series is as of now one giant plothole. Discord was a pretty high concept for this kind of show: Not really evil, no masterplan, just near limitless power, no moral compass and chaos for chaos' sake. There was even an underlying theme of his chaos against the sisters order. All down the drain. this episode could have worked for Gilda, maybe Sombra, hell it would have been downright fascinating with Chrysalis and exploring the changelings' point of view. Discord out of all the villains did not need redemption, the run he had in S2 was perfectly self contained. They brought him back, not because there was a story to be told, but simply to have another episode with John de Lancie on the show.   So yeah, move over Mare Do Well, I've got a new least favorite episode.     Only positives are some of the Mane Six's antics and that Discord at least did not turn out to be Starswirl.

 

Well, at least you are voicing your own opinion, but when I imagine you saying the words in this quote, I keep on imagining you sounding like either the Angry Video Game Nerd or the Nostalgia Critic, or even Keenan Wynn (Alonzo Hawk from Herbie Rides Again and the Winter Warlock from Santa Claus is Comin to Town). There are actually some movies that the Nostalgia Critic reviewed that I actually like, such as Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland. Firstly, I was quite skeptical of the show's decision to reform a villain, largely due to the fact that in some shows, villains never change or make a 180 degree turn. A prime example of this would be the old 1960s Batman show. The first set of episodes that The Joker appeared in, called "The Joker is Wild" and "Batman is Riled", the warden and Chief O' Hara believed that The Joker was reformed, only they were wrong, as the Joker plotted a prison break and created some crime waves all over Gotham City. But I believe they were trying to tell their version of the story of how Saul, a man that consistently persecuted Christians in The Bible, was encountered by Jesus Christ in the desert and became God's chosen tool to spread the good name of Jesus Christ, oh, and he was renamed to Paul. I was also kind of expecting Discord to hit Fluttershy, sending her flying into a tree and getting knocked unconscious, just so I can shake my monitor yelling "Speak to me!!!" like Boris Grishenko in Goldeneye, and then after Discord creates chaos, I give myself self abuse and try to make my knuckles bleed because I would believe freedom in Equestria is dead because of Celestia's foolish decision to reform Discord. But the episode took a way friendlier approach, having Fluttershy see Discord for what he can be rather than for what he did, after all, Discord had the hardest time corrupting her. She just had to be a sweetheart to Discord just to change him. I tried to be like that with Osama bin Ladin when I tried to write a letter telling him about Christianity and stuff, but my family never sent the letter, and pity Osama, because he's dead. Also, I like Care Bears, but I don't like some of their newer outings. By the way, some movies other people hate I like, such as Batman Forever, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story, and I believe Cars 2 might be on that list as well, even though I did believe it was Pixar's weakest outing. What I mean to say is, I love the episode, yet I wonder why the writers, I mean the writers, not the Princess, would decide to reform Discord? I think the answer may be that I recall a certain animation writer that existed named Romeo Muller, he wrote the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer special from Rankin Bass, and a reoccuring theme in some of Rankin Bass' filmography is that the villain manages to get reformed. Heck, see what Santa Claus did with the Winter Warlock to reform him? He offered him kindness and gave him a toy choo choo train. Romeo Muller loved trains, and so do I.