S03:E13 - Magical Mystery Cure

[SCS 7,537]

@@SCS,

 

This sounds like tyranny of unicorns man.  I might agree with you if the show is all about twilight, but it's not, it's supposed to be all about them.  I don't see why being a student of celestia should matter or even writing a spell if it's supposedly all about friendship.

 

And like I said before, they made absolutely no effort to demonstrate that she's culminated experience from all the past episodes.  I mean she writes to princess celestia and says shes learned them, but I don't think she's ever actually done anything to demonstrate that she's changed which maybe they could have done if they made it a two parter and left out so much unnecessary singing

 

And still even then, I might be able to forgive all of that if the episode just wasn't so terrible.  I don't think a problem has ever been solved so quickly in all of the episodes of the show 

 

I noticed some things here and there that suggested Twilight's continual evolution. However, a lot of it is up to how you interpret the episodes, and everyone will interpret them differently. It is all subjective. I respect your opinion, but I stand by my original statement that Magical Mystery Cure was beyond excellent in every respect. 

 

I have noticed a lot of people didn't like how it wasn't a two-parter episode. Hopefully what Megan McCarthy said (spoilers) will satisfy those who are upset by that, but it will take some patience.

[Booksmith 87]

the fact that Twilight became an alicorn blinded you with disaproval for the episode that you can't see the epicness of it.

 

Actually I'm quite fine with her being an princess, it is a logical progression to the story arch. But she didn't need to become a alicorn and she especially didn't need to become one so haphazardly and with such a weak plot device. (No vibrator jokes)  

 

They didn't need to make her an Alicorn and when they did they managed to accomplish it in one of the least effective ways possible. The episode was drivel. 

 

I think you, sir, are too much of a fan-boi to see the episode objectively for what it is, a poorly written, rushed, extravaganza of pretty colors and music to appease the stupid consumers which is insulting to viewers of all ages.  

Edited February 16, 2013 by Plowplot

[Squid 100]

I loved the episode, guys. it really got me in the feels. It was marvelous.

 

I think that Celestia's song may be a new favourite.  It was absolutely beautiful.

 

it seems people still hate it even after seeing it.  Well, I believed in M.A. Larson, and I still do.  I don't think there was any need for panic, and it turned out wonderfully.  Haters gonna hate.

[poniesforfun 716]

Something tells me this sort of thing should happen at the end of MLP: FiM. You know on the finale of the last season. Because after she becomes princess she will feel very distant from the other five the same way I feel about Celestia, Cadence and Luna being less relevant to the problems given every episode.

 

Remember in every Disney movie when a girl becomes a princess any new sequel made is terrible.

Edited February 16, 2013 by poniesforfun

[My Little Mandy 838]

I thought the episode was pretty cool.

But now another question has popped into my mind:

Will the rest of the Mane 6 slowly become Alicorns as well in future episodes?

[rjrgmc28 130]

I loved the episode, guys. it really got me in the feels. It was marvelous.

 

I think that Celestia's song may be a new favourite.  It was absolutely beautiful.

 

it seems people still hate it even after seeing it.  Well, I believed in M.A. Larson, and I still do.  I don't think there was any need for panic, and it turned out wonderfully.  Haters gonna hate.

 

Agreed with every point there. I don't see why there is a lot of hate just over one little change in the character or how the episode touched them emotionally or in my case, made me bawl my eyes out. 

 

I guess we can't please everyone. (Sighs).......

[poniesforfun 716]

You aren't looking at the big picture. In the season one opening, Twilight learns about friendship. She continues learning about friendship throughout the rest of season 1. In season 2, Celestia tells Twilight and her friends that all of them can send her letters on the lessons they learned, and only when they learn them. Twilight also learns lessons such as friendship can be hard, but it's worth fighting for. In the season 3 opening, Twilight learned the importance of putting others before yourself, even if it means not getting something that was very important to you, which is one of the most important lessons there is to learn. That, combined with the many other lessons she learned throughout the series that I haven't mentioned, all culminate to her coronation as an alicorn in the season 3 finale.

 

She became an alicorn because she had successfully learned all of the lessons she had a part in throughout the 64 preceding episodes. Therefore, they do culminate at the season 3 finale. 

 

Just because they were singing a lot doesn't mean there wasn't substance. The songs have great meaning. It was pretty much a musical, and musicals have just as much substance as other things: the characters just sing instead of talk. 

 

Twilight was the only one who was Celestia's student, and she was the one who actually wrote new magic, which no one else had ever done before. Therefore, it is logical that she is the one to become an alicorn.

 

Doing it as a musical was a good idea. Can't think of a better way to express the ascension of Twilight to an Alicorn. Though still feeling the cramps about Season 4. I still feel MLP kind of ended after Season 2. :/

[Motion Spark 7,807]

Actually I'm quite fine with her being an princess, it is a logical progression to the story arch. But she didn't need to become a alicorn and she especially didn't need to become one so haphazardly and with such a weak plot device. (No vibrator jokes)  

 

They didn't need to make her an Alicorn and when they did they managed to accomplish it in one of the least effective ways possible. The episode was drivel. 

 

I think you, sir, are too much of a fan-boi to see the episode objectively for what it is, a poorly written, rushed, extravaganza of pretty colors and music to appease the stupid consumers which is insulting to viewers of all ages.  

Why she can't be an alicorn? tell me reasons why she can't be a alicorn. You know, at this point of the show, you should be aware that it has been known for rushing things and not for making too complicated storylines, and I want to remind you that this show is meant for little girls, that's the main audience, if you hate it, the girls would probably like it.

Actually you are talking like this was your show. "this is my show, it belongs to me, don't touch it Hasbro", who quite fits the fanboy role here is you, because you can't accept something you can't even control and move on.

[The565er 9]

Someone has probably already posted this but could I get a link to this episode on youtube if it's out?

[PonyHag1 591]

The idea that the whole thing was a dream is intriguing. Reminds me of the Newhart series finale.

 

*huge explosion*

 

*darkness*

 

Twilight: Spike? Spike?

 

Spike: *sleepy* What?

 

Twilight: I just had the craziest dream...everypony's cutie marks got switched around...and I had to solve it...and guess what? I became a Princess...and (whatever happens in the next two parts)

 

Spike: It was just a dream...go back to sleep...

 

Twilight: Yeah...*rolls over in bed*

 

Spike: You know, Twi, you might look good with wings.

 

Twilight: *chuckles*

[Derpy Azusa 272]

I also think that it should have been a 2 parter, I think they were in a rush to make the season finale and there weren't to many episodes this season which I'm sad about. I just hope in season 4 that Twilight is still in Ponyville it wouldn't be the same with out her. 

[himanuts 165]

When Twilight "exploded" was hilarious.

 

A Friend Indeed is my favourite song of the entire show now.

 

The episode was really emotional, really shows how far the characters have gotten.

 

Despite finding the episode highly good, I still stand against the Twilicorn thing. She doesn't need a physical change and power upgrade to represent a position and it's ideals.

[Zygen 6,066]

Ok so people being pessimistic about this episode overall made me a bit skeptical of this episode, and I'll admit I didn't expect the musical type style of it, but oh my gosh I really liked this episode.

 

The songs I think we're actually really beautiful, I may just be a sucker for music, but I think they where pretty well done, I think my favorite might be the Cutie mark song thing or the True friend song, one of those. They where all pretty good in my eyes, so I guess the songs have still yet to disappoint me .

 

The episode had this feeling of memories to it, it brought back all these memories of old episodes and even brought some memories of me first becoming a brony back, the song with Celestia and the parts of old episodes showing up in the background was beautiful, It actually almost made me a little teary eyed. And then Twilights Speech almost made me tear up to, not to mention all the mane 6 crying. It was beautiful.

 

I'm sorry y'all, but I loved this episode actually. I didn't expect much, and while the musical thing was a bit odd, I think I still liked the episode! It just gave me all these emotions and stuff memories, it was pretty great, had this really good finale feel to it for sure.

 

Now I will say some negatives to the episode, first of all I think that the episode was rushed in a sense. I totally expected this so I wasn't really surprised, but I bet if this was a two parter they would've done things a bit differently. For instance I think when Twilight got that flashback they would've left that part in instead. Plus skipping to that part felt the most rushed out of everything. Felt like it was missing some story there, but again it wasn't a two parter which I really still believe it should've been, even if I think it was a great episode.

 

In fact I think the reason why they made the episode musical like was to make it so they could tell things faster through song. That's my theory on that, it could be possible they just felt like writing a musical, but I assume it was because of some time constraints to this episode.

 

However the episode actually was surprisingly not as rushed feeling as I thought, like I pointed out the skip to Twilights flashback felt a bit rushed, but considering it was all musical and stuff it just flowed together pretty good.

 

And as for Twilight being an Alicorn, I think I could get use to it, sure its not quite as adorable as Unicorn Twilight, but I can tell you that I don't think Twilights personality changed at all from becoming an Alicorn, Literally one of the first things she said after being told she was a Princess was "Is there a book on being a Princess I should read?" Ah good ol Twilight book nerd . She didn't become a mary sue character or anything, she still is a study heavy personality like she always was, and I'm sure the rest of her personality will stay for the most part, she'll just be a princess.

 

Plus thinking about it, I'm surprised we didn't see this coming, I mean Twilights Element is a crown, Princess's wear crowns. it makes sense really. Not to mention shes the student of a Princess. So yeah, I don't think Twilight is moving from my 2nd favorite spot. I still love her after this episode.

 

The fact that she made a mistake and was to hasty with the spell also shows she still has flaws, and Its not like she didn't admit to it or anything, she sung about it for crying out loud . And her task to become a Princess was to finish the spell using the magic of Friendship, which is what she had to study. Not to mention the continuity from it being written by star swirl the bearded.

 

The only thing I am sorta worried about is where the show will go next, but I heard that there was a twitter post saying that in a way this finale is going to be a 3 parter, since the next 2 episodes that belong to S4 will be related to the events of this one. So I'm excited for what'll happen then.

 

This episode does wrap things up pretty well, it does make me wonder where the show will go, but overall I liked the episode. maybe everyone didn't but I did. And I'm going to be optimistic and say that the show will be going strong S4, where it will go I'm curious already to find out.. And we have till S4 to wait. I'm really going to be drove crazy by that actually .

 

Being pessimistic about this episode didn't really help me though, I worried about it only to find it was actually still pretty good, so I'll stay optimistic and say S4 will be EVEN BETTER then S3. Yeah sue me for being to optimistic .

 

So don't worry bronies, we're talking about the writers and producers and voice actors and song writers of one of the most amazing cartoons on TV, rather THE most amazing cartoon on TV. I think they've got this.

 

I'd also like to say this, when I heard Twilight say, "Everythings going to be just fine!" At the end of this episode, I felt almost like it was the producers saying, "Don't worry bronies we got this! Everythings gonna still be awesome!" I know thats probably not it, but I just felt that way hearing it .

 

So don't worry guys, I think the show is still gonna be going strong! Just stay awesome, and open minded to the ideas that your unsure about, if we weren't open minded in the first place we'd never have watched this awesome show in the first place, would we?

 

Oh and ps. I loved when Pinkie was like "HOLD ON!" *Gulps water* *SPIT* haha, I laughed at that more then I probably should've to tell y'all the truth .

Someone has probably already posted this but could I get a link to this episode on youtube if it's out?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb0pY_sjN2Y

Here ya go, this is the one I watched, should be HD, and unless it was taken down within the past 10 minutes since I watched, it should still be up!

Edited February 16, 2013 by Zygen

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

I wasn't very pleased with Alicorn Twily when the rumours started coming out, and I'm still not a huge fan of her, but..eh.

 

The episode itself was alright, though I felt everything went a bit...fast.

Suddenly: ALICORN

 

The songs were ok. That sad song choked me up a bit.

 

My friend and I screamed quite a bit when we saw Luna in a dress. After we go over the initial girly shrieking, we agreed that the dress didn't suit Luna very well.

And she didn't have any speaking lines. <_<

 

All in all, it was a good episode. Apparently this episode is part of a 3-parter, and the other 2 will open season 4.

So you know what that means...

Another random villian.

 

I just want the Luna and Celestia's past episode.

 

[jonathonpr 5]

I am hoping that this episode will lead into something cool in the first episodes of season 4. Personally I consider this episode a low point for the series. 

Things I want to see.

 

1. Twilights transformation adversely affects friendship throughout Equestria.

 

2. Friendships are only stable when Twilight is around.

 

2. A rift develops between Luna and Celestia.

 

4. the other five have to travel together in search of the cause while Twilight remains in Canterlot.

 

9. The five have to work together and demonstrate their element without friendship.

 

3. Discord gets a laugh when confronted and tells them what is going on.

 

4. Celestia becomes her own version of Nightmare Moon.

 

5. The five find out that something like this happened to create Nightmare Moon.

 

6. The other princesses occurred naturally.

 

0. Discord tries to solve problems.

 

7. Twilight is forced to flee Canterlot.

 

0. The five discover how to unprincess Twilight.

 

0. Twilight and the five meet up and discuss what must be done and what it means to twilight.

 

0. Discord buys time to the process and is apparently destroyed by Celestia like King Sombra.

 

0. Twilight is restored and the six confront Celestia

 

0. Celestia is defeated and restored by the Elements of Harmony.

 

0. Celestia looks like a younger version of herself.

 

0. Parts of Discord partially reform and he admits he could not pass up the opportunity. Discord cant be destroyed only trapped.

 

0. The illusion on Celestia is removed so she looks like normal.

 

20. You cannot force friendship. A true princess can only be created for a force by the force and their interaction with it itself.

 

21. While walking around town Twilight catches a glimpse of herself as a princess again in a reflection for a brief moment. She continues to meet up with her friends. 

 

22. fade to black.

[Eragonrde12 49]

I liked the episode, I don't know why everyone is making a big deal about Princess Twilight, she kinda deserved it if you ask me.

 

Also I loved how Celestia didn't give Twilight Sparkle a chance, just HERE IS YOUR WINGS! HAVE FUN!

[roptiriolg 49]

The greatest episode of all! Yes, I mean it, because this is the direction MLP has to go - some actual  changes, not all seasons to be just about the Mane 6 doing their daily and sometimes unusual things. I wonder, will MLP go in a new direction now? It would be great if now the Mane 6 had more adventure episodes, trying to stop some evil, you know, like all the cooler episodes from these 3 seasons.

 

However, I feel it spoiled, I was supposed to get a very pleasant and unexpected surprise, that would make this episode for me times more enjoyable - IF NOT the constant spoilers of fan art, Twilight with wings, Princess Twilight Sparkle... shees I am good ar skipping and avoiding texts to not get spoilers but when I saw these arts in previous episodes threads where I was simply looking for the YouTube episodes... there was no freaking way to miss it.

 

So I knew that was going to happen, Twilight with wings, how can anyone enjoy watching an episode after knowing all about it !?!?!?

 

I didn't get as excited as I should have, all because of these spoilers,  this was great how Twilight changed, I loved that something culminating happened for once. Can't wait for Season 4 to come but also this Season 3 ended so soon that I couldn't even realize it ended...

Edited February 16, 2013 by ImtR

[Metaright 76]

Like most of us, I was very hesitant about the whole "Twilight becomes an Alicorn" thing. And actually seeing the episode, it seems like they tried to squeeze two distinct plots together. But the writers have pulled through some terrible decisions before (giving Twilight a long-lost brother, namely). So I was determined to keep myself in check and put faith in the writers. So, did they deliver a satisfying episode?

 

Not really, no.

 

The whole thing is just plagued with problems, plotholes, shoddy writing, and shark-jumping. 

 

Exhibit A: The pacing is far too fast.

 

As many have already said, this episode tries to squeeze in way too many things into a short time. On the surface, the plot doesn't sound like an awfully convoluted ordeal: The cutie marks get switched, the ponies go through some existential distress, Twilight fixes everything, and then she becomes an Alicorn. It sounds like it could be doable in 22 minutes, but, evidently, it wasn't.

 

The thing is, the plot follows that basic skeleton, but it doesn't do it well. We're told that Twilight screwed up the cutie marks by performing a faulty spell, but we're told a significant way through the episode via flashback. Why could this not have gone in the beginning? Giving us that bit of exposition up front would have made the plot so much more coherent. As it is, the flashback just interrupts the plot and makes the story feel incredibly choppy.

 

I was sorely disappointed at how little we were given of the ponies' existential distress. The writers are amazing at that sort of thing. Remember Party of One and Lesson Zero? But we don't get any of that. We see the ponies being sad at their new jobs, sure. But none of the humor comes from them. Rainbow Dash's scenes aren't funny because of how Rainbow Dash acts; the jokes are centered around the (apparently carnivorous?) animals. They don't get any funny actions, any funny dialog, or any funny situations. Hey look, Rainbow Dash is trying to take care of animals! Pinkie Pie is trying to applebuck! Applejack is trying to make a dress! So what? If the writers were trying to make these situations funny, they failed spectacularly. The real effort is made not on writing for the characters, but for writing the scenarios in which the characters find themselves. We're not shown how Rainbow Dash would attempt to care for animals in her own way; we're shown Rainbow Dash, in a cottage, briefly attempting to care for animals. The focus is not on Rainbow Dash, it's on the zany situation.

 

So much could have been added to make this episode amazing. Rainbow Dash, boisterous and confident, taking care of animals? Fluttershy, as nervous and quiet as ever, trying to make ponies laugh? Applejack, every the tough tomboy, taking the reins of Rarity's dressmaking business? These could make for great episodes in themselves! But unfortunately, that's not what we're given. The characters' personalities could bring so much humor and drama to their environments, but they're shafted in favor of having them sit there and look sad. So much opportunity, for humor and drama heartwarming, lost.

 

Everything in the plot gets moved along far too quickly to be of any notable significance. Twilight gets sad, but only for a few seconds. The cutie marks are switched, but before you know it everything is back to normal. It's very hard to get invested in the story when it moves so quickly. This episode could have been a spectacular two-parter, with part one focusing on the cutie mark debacle. If they did the conflict right (which they didn't, as explained below), it really could have slowed down and shifted the focus back onto the characters, and away from the situations the characters find themselves in.

 

Not only is the episode's main conflict rushed, but the conflict's resolution is so quick that you could miss it if you blink at the wrong time. Because unfortunately...

 

Exhibit B: The "resolution" isn't a resolution at all.

 

How does Twilight fix everything? Well, first she gets sad. Understandable. Then Spike says, "But Twilight, they're your friends!" Then, all pretenses of being sad gone without a trace, Twilight looks at a photo, her cutie mark appears in her pupils, and she figures out how to fix everything.

 

Wait, what?

 

How does Twilight figure out the solution? Nothing happened! There was no big revelation about friendship. She didn't learn anything. She didn't experiment with magic. She didn't ask Celestia for help. She didn't do anything. Where was this solution supposed to have appeared from?

 

The writers haven't messed up this badly before. In The Return of Harmony, Twilight gets motivated by reading her old letters. In the series premiere, Twilight discovers the Elements of Harmony by realizing that she's made friends. In this, though, she just... comes up with the answer out of nowhere, I guess. You can't chalk this up to some lesson about friendship, as she doesn't learn anything prior. And she doesn't say "I learned this about friendship and now I know the answer!". She just figures it out, somehow, and refuses to tell us.

 

And even past that, how she restores her friends makes little sense either. By getting them to perform the actions they love doing... they're fixed? When Pinkie Pie almost makes someone laugh (as she is restored, interestingly, before anyone in her audience laughs), she just starts glowing, and putting her Element on just fixes her. Why does this fix her? I thought cutie marks determined a pony's destiny or special talent. Why does putting Pinkie into what was her destiny make her susceptible to being fixed? Where does this resolution come from? Why do they fixed? How do they get fixed? Perhaps these are all moot points, though, because...

 

Exhibit C: The conflict doesn't make sense.

 

So Twilight gets a faulty spell that Starswirl the Bearded wrote. This spell takes the Elements of Harmony and mixes them up. Why would this spell even exist? Why would Starswirl create this spell? 

 

Maybe that's a minor issue, but the mixing of the Elements of Harmony isn't handled well at all. Five of the Mane Six get their cutie marks mixed up, which, according to what the show has told us about cutie marks, has changed their destiny and their special talent. That is, what they are talented at doing. So why is Rainbow Dash bad with animals? Why can't Applejack make dresses? Why does this episode seem to contradict what we've been told in the past? Rarity has the weather-mare's cutie mark. Why does she suck at managing the weather, then? 

 

One could make the argument that cutie marks aren't what cause the talents; they're only a sign of them. So mixing the marks up doesn't actually change the ponies on any substantial level. But if this is the case, why do they appear to be suffering from amnesia? Just because Applejack now has Rarity's cutie mark doesn't mean she just forgets her old life, does it? Why do the ponies act like they know nothing of their former personality? But they only forget selectively, apparently. Applejack forgets about her farm and her family, sure, but she remembers who Twilight is. And who the rest of the Mane Six are. And basically everything that doesn't have to do with her apple career. 

 

Why would a switch in cutie marks give them such amnesia? Why don't they remember what they're good at? They sing about how they're only doing what their cutie marks "tell them to". So, it turns out the cutie marks do compel them, then? If that's the case, why did they need to get amnesia? Why are they bad at their new special talents? What is the nature of cutie marks, already? Are they the cause of a pony's talents, or are they a sign of talents that already exist?

 

And that's not even the end of it. When the Mane Six are out of commission, Ponyville grinds to a halt. But... why? The Mane Six have been on lengthy journeys before. Why is this different? Sure, Pinkie Pie couldn't farm if her life depended on it. But Big Mac and Applebloom are still there, right? How did the farm function, say, when Applejack was away at the Crystal Empire in the season three premiere? Why does Applejack's absence suddenly cause the farm to die?

 

And for that matter, why didn't Big Mac and Applebloom do anything? "Hey Pinkie, you suck at farming. Help us find Applejack". That exchange alone would have accomplished just as much as what Twilight did, after all. There's really no good reason for the writers to decide that the Mane Six are suddenly the cornerstone of society itself. 

 

Exhibit D: The songs are too numerous, and eat up too much screentime.

 

For some reason, I guess the team decided to pack this episode full of songs. So much so, in fact, that there's almost more song than actual dialog. And while this helps somewhat to move the plot along, it doesn't alleviate the fact that the plot is too fast in the first place. A cheery musical number may make the story's breakneck pace easier to swallow, but the songs themselves may be a part of why the pacing is so quick in the first place.

 

Consider the song that the episode opens with, in which Twilight joyfully sings about Ponyville (in a manner that seems infinitely more fitting of Pinkie Pie, but okay). Why is this song here? What is it trying to convey? "That's easy," you could be saying. "It's showing how happy Ponyville is and how content Twilight is, so that the contrast later will mean more". True, but why did this message have to be expressed in such a lengthy song that could have gone to more important things, like the dialog? There's no reason Twilight couldn't have just been taking a walk with Spike and casually mentioning how happy Ponyville is. "Gee Spike, Ponyville is so lively today! I'm glad Celestia sent us to live in such a joyful place." There you go. The entire purpose of the song could have been condensed to a single line of dialog, with nothing important being lost. Adding a musical number for its own sake is never a good idea, and this episode does it in spades.

 

Seriously, you can't go three minutes without someone starting to sing. And the songs are all completely forgettable. They're not terrible, thankfully, but they're certainly not some of Ingram's best work. All the time that the songs took up could have been used in a much more responsible way. 

 

Exhibit E: The ending is rushed, out of place, and nonsensical.

 

Twilight turns into an Alicorn, and now she's a princess. Such a huge, game-changing plot twist surely warrants at least a little exposition, but no. Instead, we're treated to a dialog that essentially boils down to this:

 

Celestia: You're a princess, Twilight!

Twilight: Is there a book about that?

Celestia: Nope!

Twilight: I have absolutely no apprehensions about this whatsoever!

Mane Six: Yay!

 

Seriously though- they take Twilight's new status as a princess way too quietly. This is a huge development, but nobody even bats an eye. Twilight's friends aren't terrible confused or surprised. Twilight herself accepts her new position startling quickly. She's crowned a princess, and that's that. Not one of the characters stops to recognize the significance of this. This makes the ending feel so very, very rushed, and so incredibly artificial. If the characters themselves don't care about the significance of this, why should the viewer? 

 

And going past the rushed nature of it, the entire development is completely out of place. It's hard to imagine not expecting it, as the brony community has known about it for weeks already. But withing the show itself, absolutely nothing even hints at Twilight becoming a princess. Yeah, we get a few hints of Celestia about Twilight being ready for something. But this is quite an unexpected turn of events if you take what's been told through the show itself. The fact that the ending was so unforgivably rushed makes this whole thing seem incredibly out of place.

 

The implications for the rest of show are grim, as well. Twilight being an Alicorn could very easily mess with the group dynamic that makes the show so appealing in the first place. Setting Twilight up on a pedestal is exactly the kind of thing they shouldn't do, and if they don't tread carefully, this could be the beginning of the end. However, they have shown their inability to write great adventure episodes in the past (see The Crystal Empire), so I'm not going to hop on the doomsayer bandwagon just yet.

 

Conclusion

 

Take everything I said above, and you'll get the idea of why I disliked this episode so much. It's rushed, it's sloppy, the writing is bad, the songs are pointless, and the ending is terrible. A two-parter would have made this episode so much better, but as it is, I honestly believe this is one of the worst episodes of the series. As in, right up there with MMMystery on the Friendship Express and The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. It genuinely baffles me that so many people think this episode is amazing. If this episode was the best they could do, I wouldn't be a fan of the show in the first place.

Edited February 16, 2013 by Metaright

[The Soldier 2,044]

Well we did get a confirmation of a Movie. Who knows when that will be out though. My hope is it will be sometime this spring or summer.

I've never heard of a movie. Did they actually say there was going to be a movie? I wonder if it's in the future when Twilight is, like, fully grown. I don't know. Link, please?

[Two-of-Hearts 168]

I'm in agreement with SCS. The episode is actually perfectly paced if one puts it in the context that it is in fact the exclamation point of the last 3 seasons (and luckily they are starting a new sentence).

The episode did feel like a culmination of the entire philosophy of the show, and in that sense doing almost the entire episode as a musical felt right, as did the fact that it was a single episode instead of an arc.  

 

Edited February 16, 2013 by Two-of-Hearts

[AnonBrony 1,468]

I've never heard of a movie. Did they actually say there was going to be a movie? I wonder if it's in the future when Twilight is, like, fully grown. I don't know. Link, please?

Ugh, Skratch, Its somewhere in EQD. I think it just got over shadowed cuz it was in the same post as the spin off with the humanized ponies. Everyone ignored the movie and went all "OMG HUMANS!!" or sumthin'. I think. Eh i forget. still somewhere in EQD... and i really don't feel like looking for it.

[SCS 7,537]

I also think that it should have been a 2 parter, I think they were in a rush to make the season finale and there weren't to many episodes this season which I'm sad about. I just hope in season 4 that Twilight is still in Ponyville it wouldn't be the same with out her.

 

I highly doubt that Twilight Sparkle wouldn't be allowed to live in Ponyville anymore. She's a new princess, so I doubt Celestia would let her rule anything yet. She would need to be trained properly first. That could be one of the themes in season 4. 

 

One possible solution would be that Twilight would just share in a general rule of Equestria with the other princesses. Cadence is specifically in charge of helping to protect the Crystal Empire. Perhaps Twilight's job would be to protect Ponyville. This way, Twilight could continue living in Ponyville.

 

 

 

I'm in agreement with SCS. The episode is actually perfectly paced if one puts it in the context that it is in fact the exclamation point of

the last 3 seasons (and luckily they are starting a new sentence).

 

The episode did feel like a culmination of the entire philosophy of the show, and in that sense doing almost the entire episode as a

musical felt right, as did the fact that it was a single episode instead of an arc.

 

I agree. Magical Mystery Cure is both a culmination of the series thus far and an introduction to the new concept of Princess Twilight Sparkle that will be further developed in season 4. This gives the writers even more opportunities for episode ideas, which will hopefully promote the longevity of the show.

Edited February 16, 2013 by SCS

[IronPuddinG 249]

*Sigh*

Well, I guess I'm going to have to be 'that' guy.  All in all, the episode itself was okay.  As others have noticed, the pace was retardedly fast, so the episode recieved little to no plot development and people seem to be using the excuse that the songs made up for it.  They didn't.  I was quite dissapointed today.  One thing that people who liked the episode seem to be missing is the future.  This isn't the end of the entire generation, which causes problems.  This episode would have been one hell of a way to go out, but, as we all know, there is another entire season with 26 episodes. 

Why is this a problem, you might ask?

The episode essentially killed off one of the main characters.  Twilight is a princess now.  Princesses have responsibilities.  Even if Celestia takes most of the burden running the country, there is still going to be a large amount of awkwardness in the coming episodes.  Here, we are faces with two possiblities, each being equally s****y. 

• Twilight becomes more like a 'teacher' (which is heavily implied by that whole "we are your students" line by Celestia) and has little to no interaction with the rest of the Mane 6 beyond her 'teaching' and small talk.  Basically, there is only going to be a Mane 5.
• Twilight has little responsibility running the country with Celestia and Luna.  Instead, she gets to stay in Ponyville with the restof the Mane 6.  Now, anyone who has ever read a single fanfiction know's about the dreaded Alicorn OC's.  If this option is what is true, the show practically turns into a terrible alicorn self insert.  Plus, seeing as how she is still a princess, everypony would still have the obligation to pay respect to her.  She would stick out like a sore thumb.

Hasbro basically shot themselves in the foot by releasing this episode.  Had they made this season the last, it would have been excellent.  Instead, we get another season with either of the above options.

I don't think I'll be watching season 4.

[Derpy Azusa 272]

That would be a good idea so she could become the princess of PonyVille I love that idea lets hope in season for she has more tasks and tests 

[Booksmith 87]

Why she can't be an alicorn? tell me reasons why she can't be a alicorn. 

 

Because Alicorns are rare magical creatures born from ponies only once in a long while along a royal bloodline...?? Which has been the foundation for the nobility and therefore the entire governmental structure of Equestria since the dawn of time? 

 

Or, if you need the dumbed down version: She changed her SPECIES so she could go live with the privileged white folk. 

Edited February 16, 2013 by Plowplot