Each Writer's Finest Hour

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

We have threads for our favorite episodes. We have threads for our favorite writers. Since each writer has contributed something significant to the show it seems only fair to combine those two common points of discussion and to share our favorite episode from each writer. You can explain why if you feel like it. For your convenience here is a list of the writers and which episodes they are credited with.

 

Lauren Faust

- Friendship is Magic Part 1 & Part 2

 

- The Ticket Master (with Amy Keating Rogers)

 

Amy Keating Rogers

- The Ticket Master (with Lauren Faust)

- Applebuck Season

- Bridle Gossip

- Fall Weather Friends

- A Dog and Pony Show

- The Best Night Ever

- The Cutie Pox

- The Last Roundup

- A Friend in Deed

- MMMystery on the Friendship Express

 

 

Cindy Morrow

- Griffon the Brush Off

- Winter Wrap Up

- The Show Stoppers

- Owl's Well That Ends Well

- Sisterhooves Social

- Family Appreciation Day

- Read It and Weep

- Hurricane Fluttershy

- One Bad Apple

- Apple Family Reunion

 

 

Meghan McCarthy

- Dragonshy

- Call of the Cutie

- Green Isn't Your Colour

- Party of One

- Lesson Zero

- Sweet and Elite

- Hearts and Hooves Day

- A Canterlot Wedding Part 1 & Part 2

 

- The Crystal Empire Part 1 & Part 2

 

 

Chris Savino

- Boast Busters

 

- The Stare Master

 

Charlotte Fullerton

- Look Before You Sleep

- Suited for Success

- A Bird in the Hoof

- May the Best Pet Win

- Baby Cakes

- Putting Your Hoof Down (with Merriwether Williams)

 

M.A. Larson

- Swarm of the Century

- Sonic Rainboom

- The Cutie Mark Chronicles

- The Return of Harmony Part 1 & Part 2

- Luna Eclipsed

- Secret of My Excess

- The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000

- It's About Time

- Ponyville Confidential

- Magic Duel

 

Dave Polsky

- Feeling Pinkie Keen

 

- Over A Barrel

- Too Many Pinkie Pies

- Spike At Your Service (with Merriwether Williams)

- Keep Calm and Flutter On

 

- Games Ponies Play

 

Merriwether Williams

- The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well

- Hearth Warming's Eve

- Putting Your Hoof Down (with Charlotte Fullerton)

- Dragon Quest

- Wonderbolt Academy

- Spike At Your Service (with Dave Polsky)

 

 

Corey Powell

- Sleepless in Ponyville

- Just For Sidekicks

 

 

And there you are, have at it. I'll be back to share my opinion later . Enjoy!

[Shift 4,272]

Well, that's interesting. Personally I agree with M.A. Larson about most of the favorite episodes, anypony who likes it's About Time if OK in my book.

Edited February 12, 2013 by Shift

[Whofch 128]

Lauren Faust

- Friendship is Magic Part 1 & Part 2

 

Have to love the episodes which started it all, introducing us to so many wonderful characters.

Amy Keating Rogers

 

- The Best Night Ever

 

Was between this and Dog n Pony show but I think I prefer The Best Night
Ever. Was fun watching them all getting annoyed. Plus song...

Cindy Morrow

 

- Sisterhooves Social

 

Hands down this one. I love Rarity and Sweetie and this episode was just sweet.

Meghan McCarthy

 

- A Canterlot Wedding Part 1 & Part 2

 

She has a nice amount to choose from but I just love the season finale.
Awesome villain, awesome song and interesting character introductions.
Plenty of feelings being thrown around too.

 

Chris Savino

Not sure on this one. Either/or tbh, I enjoyed them about the same.

 

Charlotte Fullerton

 

- Suited for Success

 

Rarity <3 Plus song. Not actually sure why I like this so much considering what it's about but whatever. I love it.

 

M.A. Larson

- Luna Eclipsed

 

Probably Luna Eclipsed here. Can't go wrong with the return of best pony
although I do love Sonice Rainboom and the Cutie mark Chronicles too

 

Dave Polsky

- Games Ponies Play

 

As plain to see as the destination of the episode was, it was an enjoyable
ride in my opinion. Think i prefer this one slightly more than Keep
Calm.

Merriwether Williams

 

- Putting Your Hoof Down (with Charlotte Fullerton)

Not sure what to say here. Although they went a bit far with the characters, watching Flutters spaz out was entertaining.

 

Corey Powell

- Sleepless in Ponyville

 

No contest. A brilliant episode which was something that I wasn't
expecting. Made me actually like Scoots somewhat and the appearance of a
wild Luna made me a happy person.

 

I'd have to say that Larson is holding the majority of top episodes in my opinion, at the moment at least. Keeping a keen eye on Corey in the future though.

[Megas 27,786]

Lauren Faust

- Friendship is Magic Part 1 & Part 2

 

It kinda started the whole series.

Amy Keating Rogers

- The Best Night Ever

My favorite episode of season one. And I really liked the build-up it got froms it's small arc

 

Cindy Morrow

- Hurricane Fluttershy

 

My favorite Fluttershy episode and established Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy as my favorite friendship

 

Meghan McCarthy

- Lesson Zero

 

It was a hard choice between Sweet and Elite and Lesson Zero, but in the end I chose LZ because it showed me that despite some bumps, season 2 would go on strong

 

Chris Savino

- The Stare Master

 

I actually don't care much about his episodes, but I chose The Stare Master simply because I don't have to deal with Trixie

Charlotte Fullerton

- Suited for Success

 

Established Rarity from my least favorite character to my second favorite. It truly showed what Rarity was capable of

M.A. Larson

- Secret of My Excess

A Spike episode done right. We finally get some more insight on Spike's crush on Rarity while getting some actual development on the poor kid

Dave Polsky

- Too Many Pinkie Pies

I was thinking about putting Games Ponies Play, but I think this episode is arguably Dave's best episode. An underappreciated imo, this is an episode that shows Pinkie Pie at her finest on top of some hilarious antics caused by her clones

 

Merriwether Williams

- Wonderbolt Academy

While I will admit that most of the criticisms toward some of her episodes are justified, I still think that Merriwether gets more hate than she deserves, and I feel that she's made the most noticable improvements compared to the rest of the writers. The jump from Mysterious Mare Do Well to Wonderbolt Academy shows that she's come a long way as she puts on Rainbow's best performance during her stay at the academy

 

Corey Powell

- Sleepless in Ponyville

 

Scootalove. 'nuff said

[RWB 229]

We have threads for our favorite episodes. We have threads for our favorite writers. Since each writer has contributed something significant to the show it seems only fair to combine those two common points of discussion and to share our favorite episode from each writer. You can explain why if you feel like it. For your convenience here is a list of the writers and which episodes they are credited with.
 
Lauren Faust
- Friendship is Magic Part 1 & Part 2

 

While Nightmare Moon is an incredibly stock villain, this two-parter shines elsewhere- in setting up the personality of 7 main characters... and well. Not bad at all. Not the strongest episode in the series(frankly, Lightning Dust is a better antagonist than NMM), but does it job as a Pilot well.

Amy Keating Rogers
- Applebuck Season

 

Finally develops AJ and her flaws(which were not very noticeable before this episode, and tend to get underplayed).
Also simply a strong episode with a good moral, and great humor. Keating is not one of the show's strongest writers, but ABS is her greatest work. It's also better than Friendship is Magic overall, due to the entire episode being solid(while FiM had issues with it's villain).
 
Cindy Morrow
- Hurricane Fluttershy: While I love Sisterhooves Social and think it's a very strong episode, and while I find Read it and Weep utterly hilarious... Hurricane Fluttershy is THE Cindy Morrow episode. It has drama, it has flashbacks, it has plot, and even a slice of humour. Hurricane Fluttershy is one of the strongest episodes in the series, and the only really, really good FS episode.

 

Cindy has grown throughout the series, starting of pretty weak in season 1, but truly came into her own in Season 2.

Meghan McCarthy
- Lesson Zero: While some may cry character derailment, LZ is one of the funniest episodes in the series, and that really does sell it above the rest of Meghan's episodes, which tend to be average at best. ACW is a great action and music piece, but the plot is weak as hay.

Chris Savino
- The Stare Master: The Stare Master is an okay episode with some decent laughs and one marvelous song from Creber. It's not really a fantastic episode... but since Savino's first episode was arguably the worst episode of the series(the only saving grace of the episode was the character we were supposed to hate), TSM gets a free pass. Weakest writer on the show

Charlotte Fullerton
- A Bird in the Hoof: Fluttershy's second best episode. Has some strong emotional moments, some great humor and interaction.
 

M.A. Larson
- Sonic Rainboom: The choice was hard, since Larson is the strongest writer the show has, and even his weakest episodes are above average. But Sonic Rainboom gives us Cloudsdale, character development, some of best jokes in the show, action sequences, great music and it's just a great episode altogether.

Dave Polsky
- Keep Calm and Flutter On: KCaFO is not a fantastic episode, but out of Polsky's episode, which areall a bit weak on the plot side of things, it is the strongest in his best area: comedy.
 
Merriwether Williams
- Wonderbolt Academy: A pretty strong episode throughout with some great humour and all. Putting Your Hoof Down is hilarious but a bit weak in the writing, though Iron Will is essentially an AT character perfectly transplanted into MLP in a great way, allowing him to be a great large ham. 
 
 
Corey Powell
- Sleepless in Ponyville: Not a hard choice. It's arguably the most heartwarming episode of the series, has some great jokes and is just great.
 

[Stellafera 3,836]

Lauren Faust: Friendship Is Magic Part 1

 

Because it did a good job making everypony likable?

 

Amy Keating Rogers: A Friend In Deed

 

Episode that acknowledges Pinkie Pie's outgoingness and not merely her "randomness"? Score! I really liked Pinkie Pie in this episode, it had great songs, and unlike The Last Roundup, my second place pick, it had something worthwhile in it other than the ending.

 

Cindy Morrow: Hurricane Fluttershy

 

Oh come on, you saw this coming from a mile away. How about I try to summarize my reasoning instead, since that's really more of a challenge: It's best episode for TWO ponies at once.

 

Meghan McCarthy: Lesson Zero

 

I initially typed Party Of One here, but Lesson Zero was such an insanely relatable and self-enlightening episode that I just had to pick it. I liked that it played Twilight's issues for laughs; it's good to laugh at yourself sometimes.

 

Chris Savino: The Stare Master

 

I've said it before, but HEY FLUTTERSHY SHE ACTUALLY HAS FLAWS OTHER THAN BEING SHY. This is one of the few episodes where I found Fluttershy positively likable, instead of just being an okay character.

 

Charlotte Fullerton: Suited For Success

 

The one episode that gets everything right about Rarity. Her generosity is just lovely, and so were those dresses! Plus, it features a dark reprise that is a satire on executive meddling. Dark. Reprises. Rock. 

 

M.A. Larson: The Return Of Harmony Part 2

 

The only two-parter episode that really stood up to the slice of life in terms of depth and thoughtfulness. Twilight's slow denigration into her pre-episode 1 self/all of the "anti" elements combined and her awesome comeback make this my favorite "Twilight" episode.

 

Dave Polsky: Too Many Pinkie Pies

 

Actually was kind of humorous at parts, using humor that developed organically out of the situations rather than trying too hard to be funny. The contrast of Real!Pinkie and the Pinkie Clones is a perfect use of the literary concept of a foil, and done very cleverly by using "the same person" as the foil!

 

Merriwether Williams: Putting Your Hoof Down

 

I had a hard time choosing between this one and The Mysterious Mare Do Well, but looking at it from a mathematical standpoint, Mare Do Well only did a good job with one of the Mane 6 (RD), and Putting Your Hoof Down did it with three (Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie). I love episodes where we actually see the Mane 6 being, y'know, friends, and Pinkie Pie and Rarity were amazing and incredibly loyal friends to Fluttershy, despite being imperfect (as their attempts at manipulating Iron Will showcased). I also really enjoyed Jerk!Fluttershy, and that speech against her friends... dang, that was harsh, but very well written.

 

Corey Powell: Sleepless In Ponyville

 

Dat ending. Is so heartwarming. And Scootaloo is so lovable and sympathetic and her real fear is totally understandable and Luna's observation was so insightful there. And Rainbow Dash is so caring and sweet. And Applejack is so Applejack. And

 

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Alright, here are mine. For the record, I consider all two-part episodes as one episode.

 

Lauren Faust

- Friendship is Magic Part 1 & Part 2

 

I think I'm one of the only people in the fandom who likes the Faust episodes. I personally loved the introduction of each of the Mane Six, their crazy interactions with Twilight, and how their journey through the Everfree helped us further understand who these ponies were and what made them so special. I thought it was a great kick-off to the series. Yes, it was surpassed by later episodes but it was enough to suck me into the series.

 

Amy Keating Rogers

- The Best Night Ever

 

This was a great one. Plenty of lovable moments from each of the Mane Six, an amazing song, Wonderbolt cameos, loads of comedy, a moral that was easy to relate to and an excellent and heartwarming conclusion to Season One. Dashie being adorable, excellent visuals and Apple Pie in addition to the previously mentioned perks makes this one of my favorite episodes in the series.

 

Cindy Morrow

- Hurricane Fluttershy

 

This is my favorite episode in the series, mainly because I love ponies wrestling with internal issues and overcoming them. Fluttershy had an awesome (and hilarious) training montage and proved that she is much tougher than anyone gives her credit for. The visuals in the tornado were excellent, Cloud Kicker and Blossomforth made appearances and Rainbow Dash was at her absolute best, showing the soft and sympathetic side that I love so much about her . We even got a few seconds of Spitfire. This in conjunction with my love of internal conflict propels this episode to number one for me.

Honorable mention to Read it and Weep, that episode is also one of my favorites and ran up against some really good competition.

 

Meghan McCarthy

- Party of One

 

This was the second episode in the series that made me sit down and recognize a great character that I hadn't appreciated before. We were shown a new side of Pinkie Pie, a side unlike anything we'd seen before. Watching her slow descent into depression and loneliness was one of the more bizarre things in Season One for me, but it was really powerful somehow. The episode was rife with comedy, had a cute jingle, and gave me one of my favorite moments in the series when Pinkie's mane reinflated. It is also one of the episodes I am able to relate to most.

 

Honorable mention to A Canterlot Wedding, it made the decision much tougher than I would have liked.

 

Chris Savino

- The Stare Master

 

Neither of his episodes is really among my favorites, but Stare Master did show an alternate and stronger side of Fluttershy that gave her greater depth, so it gets my vote.

 

Charlotte Fullerton

- May the Best Pet Win

 

I'm biased, but I love watching Dashie grow as a character. It had some excellent moments from her and Fluttershy including one of my favorite songs in the series, it introduced Tank, referenced Ride of the Valkyries and had plenty of moments that made me laugh. I found it very enjoyable all around.

 

M.A. Larson

- The Return of Harmony Part 1 & Part 2

 

This kind of sucks because honestly just about all of Larson’s episodes are among my favorites. I’m a big Larson fanboy. That said, I have to admit that this set of episodes was a masterpiece. Psychological horror and face heel turns are two of my favorite things, and there was a measure of inner conflict even if it was largely manufactured by Discord. Speaking of Discord, he is one of my favorite villains in anything. All in all, some of the best moments in the series, great moments for each of the six, it has all the trademarks of one of my favorite episodes.

 

Dave Polsky

- Too Many Pinkie Pies

 

This one gave me everything I thought it would have and more. It was random, it was chaotic, and it was deep.  It revealed the depths of Pinkie by comparing her to the clones, who as Stellafera mentioned were brilliant foils, and overall it reminded me why I love MLP so much. Polsky has been kind of hit and miss with me in the past, but this one was a masterpiece.

 

Merriwether Williams

- Wonderbolt Academy

 

I’ll admit that I was initially very nervous to see that she wrote this episode. I had a lot of nagging worries about how this episode would turn out (almost as many as I have for the upcoming finale) but she did it fantastically. Rainbow Dash’s flaws were not ignored but revealed and overcome. Her quitting the Academy was one of the strongest and best moments in the
entire series and revealed the full strength of character that she possesses. In addition to this, Spitfire and Lightning Dust (who is also a masterful foil and my new second favorite antagonist) made this one of my favorite episodes in the series.

 

Corey Powell

- Sleepless in Ponyville

 

Everything from Corey has been great so far, but Sleepless is a masterpiece. Scootaloo was developed, Rainbow Dash’s softer side was  revisited, Luna made an appearance and the ending warmed the hearts of anyonewho has one.  Best episode of season three and my second favorite of the series.

 

[Wingnut 7,003]

This is an interesting thread and it's a slightly different twist on the other one that set out to determine the show's finest writer.  I know I should follow the example of DashForever and some other contributors here by taking a sharp pencil to this post and honing my critical writing skills.  But, battling a bout of insomnia at 2:00 am, I am too sleep deprived for that so I'll just list my personal favorite episode for each one and give a few words why. 

 

 

Lauren Faust  Friendship is Magic Part 1 & Part 2.  Nuff said. 

 

Amy Keating Rogers  The Best Night Ever went a little overboard on the Murphy's Law and "things rarely go as hoped" theme but it gets my vote for being so entertaining overall and evenly distributing the spotlight between all six ponies.

 

Cindy Morrow  Hurricane Fluttershy.  As one of my favorite critics mentions above, this takes the cake for being the best episode for Fluttershy AND Rainbow Dash.  I also think it's the best episode of the whole series.

 

Meghan McCarthy I had the good fortune of not being a Brony when Lesson Zero was first televised.  I never got caught up in all the drama of the characters being "butchered".  In hindsight, it was a very delightful episode.  Everybody has their out of character moments.  Only Twilight had the misfortune of having everybody acting odd on the SAME DAY and that, in part, set off her momentary trip into insanity.

 

Chris Savino The Stare Master showed both Fluttershy's strong and caring sides.  Although her character is sometimes abused by the writers for the sake of comic relief, Fluttershy isn't a one dimensional shy person who is always scared of everything and cries too much.  Stare Master also showed the irony of kids being outcuted by a grown up pony. 

 

Charlotte Fullerton May the Best Pet Win made it TOO obvious that Tank would emerge as RD's new pet, but I liked almost everything else about it.

 

M.A. Larson  He has more good episodes than anyone else, but Return of Harmony stands out even in that distinguished crowd. 

 

Dave Polsky Keep Calm and Flutter On.  I loved the way Discord kept pushing Fluttershy's buttons.  But her Applejack-like stubbornness to not abort Princess Celesia's assignment and turn him back to stone was amazing. 

 

Merriwether Williams  Wonderbolt Academy is her best episode for the interactions between Rainbow Dash and LD. It established that while winning is still important to RD, she now knows it's not worth putting herself or others in jeopardy.

 

Corey Powell  Sleepless in Ponyville is easily her stronger episode.  It gave Scoots long overdue character development and made her fear of being rejected by Rainbow Dash very palpable.

Edited February 13, 2013 by Wingnut