S01:E01+E02 - Friendship is Magic

[SolarSpark 2]

Episode one, for sure the best episode, episode two... Not so much.

[dj-pon-3 0]

yep

[Hetapony 1]

I really liked the pilot episodes mainly the first one. I could see how much I was like Twilight Sparkle without friends I'm a bit boring an kind of antisocial but, when I did get friends it became an absolute blast! :33

[faceless dash 10]

The first episode was amazing but it wasn't until the very ending when I realized that I was in love with this show, that cliff hanger at the end of episode 1 really caught me off guard and when princess Luna started to laugh at the end then a moment later it went to twilights reaction and then BOOM....(to be continued) that's the exact moment that I became a brony, i was totally mind fucked to the MAX, at the time i never thought i would be a fan of My little pony. I was instantly enterested to seeing what happens next, After episode 1&2 I first thought the show was going to be about ponies with special unique powers and the super villain would be princess Luna. But I still like the show the way it is episode 1 and 2 are very special episodes of season 1 in my opinion.

[LongGoneGr 1,305]

Believe it or not, I didn't see this episode till today. I loved it! 10/10

[TrueWierdo1400 3]

I really liked the first two episodes because they had the sense of adventure they had. 

[Adorkable 2,737]

This.

 

This episode, right here.

 

Is where it all began.

 

Anyone else remember watching it for the first time?

[Rainboom Dash 1,056]

I remember watching this for the first time, about October 2012. It was very good at the time, but as I progressed to later episodes and seasons I realized the "earliness" of this story. It's still great, but it was obvious that the characters were still being settled in and perfected in characterization. Regardless, it's still a good opener to the series and a good starting point.

[Redacted 71]

I remember when I watched this episode...I was hooked! xD

[Blue Parasprite 197]

Ah, the episodes that started it all. Where to begin with these? I guess I should say that these are the the first ones I saw and was the reason I got interested in them in the first place. A lot of people hate these ones, but I honestly don't see why they're so despised. Sure they were a bit childish (e.g. the purple serpent thing), but they were still pretty good. One of the things that I thught was realy interesting with it was the manticore. I was a bit surprised that something violent and monsterous like that would be a glance-over in what I previously thought was just some neon colored 20 minute long pandering to little girls. The introduction to the characters was pretty good too, and I immediately took a liking to Twilight and Fluttershy. The Season 2 premieres were better, But I still realy like these episodes. They were the ones that showed me that this show- and fanbase- were 20% cooler.

[Pastel 7,630]

I remember when I watched this episode...I was hooked! xD

Not me, I found these 2 episodes very girly and forgettable. I almost stopped watching afterwards.

Fortunately I didn't.

But I guess it was a good way to start the show.

[Scoots and Dash 208]

I really enjoyed these two episodes. There was just something about them that got me into FIM.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Scoots and Dash

[PinkieDive 24]

Looking back on it, it was kind of meh... Especially EP02... But I didn't realise that the first time I watched! Well, at least not Episode 1... Episode 2 can't say the same...

[MidnightPallette1992 53]

I would love a fanfic flash animation of Spike and Rarity in love.

That would be great!

That was the first time I found out about Nightmare Moon.

I believe she's pure evil on the inside.

And I had a theory that Nightmare Moon cursed me in a dream I had sometime ago.

[DreamCharmer 3]

I liked both of them.

[WunderWaffen_ 165]

As a newcomer to the pony game, these were the first two episodes I watched recently. I have been addicted ever since. Ironically it was my 14 Year old sister that talked me into watching the show. No regrets.

[Dark Qiviut 22,379]

Haven’t you ever felt like giving a fair review for episodes or movies that were the most nostalgic to you? That’s me as far as Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 and 2 are concerned: They were the first two episodes I watched, and they officially made me into a brony. They’re not in my top ten, but they’re instilled into me, because without watching it, I wouldn’t have noticed the show. But because these reviews are intended to be thorough and fair, that’s what I’ll do.

(But expect me to want to fill a shot glass later… )

---

Back in 2009 or 2010, Lauren Faust was assigned to reboot a franchise with a history of being almost run down to the ground. Generation 3 and 3.5 are very infamous for their poor writing, poor production, superficial conflicts, one-note characterizations, and lazy storytelling as a whole. Combined with Tales and the short-run Generation 2, My Little Pony was on life support as much as Spongebob Squarepants is today. But on October 10, 2010 (the debut of The Hub), Generation 4 rebooted My Little Pony in a whole new world and completely different art style via the first half of the pilot. Twelve days later, Part 2 aired. Using Flash to DHX’s and Top Draw’s advantages, Faust’s two-part pilot is an intro with a very wide range, from characters to conflicts to the most imbalanced quality of all the two-parters.

Strengths:

• The intro to Part 1 is a fantastic hook to bring people in. I don’t know about you, but it’s personally my most favorite moment in Part 1 because of the original twist that invites the audience into the world of Equestria. Typically, fairytales open the book to reveal centuries-old handwriting to demonstrate its age and timelessness. But "Once upon a time" was the only text. Instead, the audience is introduced to a unique art style. Akin to the ancient Greek artwork, the script delivered several key details to the viewer immediately:
  
  a. An important conflict occurred a long time ago. And as Celesta’s voice tells the story of her and Luna, you can tell Luna’s transformation to Nightmare Moon was serious, and Celestia had to act. By using the word “sister” and telling in the story in a calm way while using the pictures, Nicole Oliver is telling the story neutrally, but showing the difficulty of the ordeal then and now.
  
  b. Majesty is bestowed upon you. Ancient Greek art is widely remembered for its very distinct style of flat shapes, and they’re among the most sacred and beautiful art ever to be discovered.
  
  c. On the other hand, it’s not the rich colors you see. Instead, the colors are very pastel, displaying gentle warmth in its atmosphere that the script carried over into the true art style of the series.
  
  d. The connection between Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia was cordial, serious, and close. Evident by the intro transition from Oliver to Tara Strong’s voice. After the audience found out Twilight was Celestia’s most faithful student, it was obvious the transition was no accident; it foreshadowed their teacher-student relationship at the time, their closeness in particular.
• This doesn’t come until Part 1, Act 1; but some of the vocabulary is very rich, leading to some humor with the younger Spike. “Precipice,” “on the brink,” and “imperative” are not common in family television, informing parents that this show doesn’t talk down to its audience, something bad “kids’ shows” tend to do.
• Each main character outside of Twilight and Spike was given sufficient time to be introduced. None of them lasted too long or too short. The appropriate length not only progressed the story, but also introduced the ReMane-ing Five with some depth but without spilling the beans, something you see in plenty of anime.
  
  Pinkie Pie: The surprise reaction, zipping away, and then preparing the party in the Golden Oaks Library. When looking at the character development she received since then, her hyper talk made sense and was quite funny. It gave her comedy and jokes eccentric instead of stupid.
  
  Applejack: The positives of her character were established very early: a desire to meet new friends along with panache, honesty, and strength. Besides Dash, she was the most athletic pony of the Mane Six, and that hasn’t changed. Like Rarity and Dash, she was a hard worker who cared for her family, yet loved her job simultaneously. She had plenty of pride and wisdom to pass around.
  
  Rainbow Dash: The way she introduced herself for the first time was extremely funny. When Spike indicated her duty to clear the clouds, there was an obvious clue that she was going to “drop by” (or, in this instance, ram by ). At the time, she was eager to please, but brash and extremely immature due to her giggling, laziness, and bragging, though the latter is rather justified from her excellent athleticism. Like Rarity’s generosity, her loyalty was foreshadowed in Part 1, too, when she told Twilight and Spike she “never

Ponyville hangin’.” Her athleticism in Part 1 and passion in the field were exploited in several other episodes like Sonic Rainboom, The Best Night Ever, Hurricane Fluttershy, and Wonderbolts Academy.

Rarity: Unlike the previous three, her dialogue was the most formal. Despite using contractions, her sentences tended to be complete and regal with plenty of flair in her accent. Even before her “trial” in the Everfree Forest, her generous spirit was exposed when she sacrificed some time decorating Town Hall in order to fix (and fail to improve) Twilight. Nonetheless, her first impression was one of the weakest and needed to complete her trial to give the viewer a solider grasp in personality.

Fluttershy: Right away, you can tell Fluttershy was much closer to her animal friends than other ponies. Although she never said so, you can assume that she knows these animals, understands them, and is very sensitive because she doesn’t want to say the wrong things. Her shyness to others and care for the animals are important themes in the pilot and overarching narratives throughout the series (sometimes crisscrossing).

(And, Fluttershy, don’t expect anyone to

anytime soon. [upon clicking the link, keep your volume down so your eardrums don’t burst. ])Not everything about the immediate world of Equestria was explained, notably a unicorn’s magic and a pegasus’s relationship with the weather. You had them doing them, and just by the laws that apparently exist at the time, it makes sense. But it also works that they don’t explain it because, after all, it’s a world they’re accustomed to; blabbering about it here would’ve been pointless and, thus, treat the audience as idiots.

But it gets brownie points when Pinkie shot down Twilight's observation of libraries remaining quiet. All in a way Pinkie would say and do. In the four seasons of Friendship Is Magic, this is the only time a villain’s backstory was given thorough explanation. Part 1’s intro was dedicated into explaining Luna’s transformation into Nightmare Moon, and then the rest of the episode built up her return. One of FIM’s biggest quality flaws was the lack of subtlety, but it existed everywhere in Part 1, from Twilight’s fear of NMM’s resurrection to the corrupted alicorn's illusion in the hourglass as Twilight recites the letter Spike’s writing. As far as character design is concerned, Nightmare Moon is absolutely gorgeous. The mix of blue (especially the sapphire armor) perfectly balance each other; along with her mystical mane and perfectly curved helmet, she looks and appears threatening. The hints of purple (the wings, cutie mark, eyelid) and green (eyes) makes the deep blue coat not so overbearing. And the cat-like eyes create a sensation of deep anger that was ready to boil over and collapse on everyone around her. The concept of the stakes is tremendous. When you think about it, no one in Equestria can survive exclusively at night. Firstly, not every animal is nocturnal; there are thousands of diurnal critters, and the nocturnal creatures have a sleep pattern to follow.

To worsen the matters, every single plant relies on sunlight to generate food, and without the sun, the plants die. Without the plants, there’s no food. Without food, everyone starves. It’s a perfect case of attempting mass murder. All in a fit of jealousy that resulted in concentrated rage. The Everfree Forest is unique and creepy. Even without the background music, the visuals are enough to scare the shit out of you if you dared to step foot, and Dash’s story doesn’t help matters, either. Speaking of the forest, besides Derpy (thanks to an animation error in the background), an introduction to a great and memorable character:

Steven Magnet!

In what is his lone appearance, he has plenty of life. His personality is very flamboyant, vain, melodramatic, but caring. A perfect foil for Rarity and the element she subsequently represents. Even if it wasn’t the case, Magnet is absolutely hilarious. Lee Tockar did a great job voice acting there.

BTW, YouTube, for the first time, your Transcribe Audio feature created something useful for a change! Thanks for helping give the sea serpent his canon name. XD The comedy is top notch. Here, no one is safe from the occasional cartoonish slapstick. Spike, of course, is the victim of plenty of it (which became more glaring in future seasons). The same goes for Twilight every now and then, like when she got rammed by Dash and Fluttershy.

However, one thing about pilots is how unpolished they tend to be. When looking back, the flaws look much more glaring because later seasons are usually more sophisticated. This is exactly the case here:

• Unlike the other seasons, season one was under the microscope of two ratings: the one required by their specific governments (in America, TV-Y) and E/I (Educational/Informational, which you can read about here). Beyond Hasbro’s mandates, FIM really shows how much the pilot hindered its potential in a big way.
  
  Although there are great stakes on the line, it doesn’t feel that way. Each trial was so tame, it could’ve been anything. With mild tweaking, they would’ve fit every other character. If Faust and DHX pushed the line even more, then it risked violating the strict E/I guidelines, and who knows how Hasbro would’ve reacted. I’ll dissect their executions later.
• One of season one’s biggest problems that’s been popping up among recent marathons is lackluster aging. The pilot is no exception.
  
  a. When listening to The Laughter Song the first time, Pinkie’s joy is abundant in not only her voice, but also the visuals and animation like hopping, appearing out of nowhere on screen (forcing you to wonder where she’ll be next), and the teary laughter. It started slowly and then crescendoed into the chorus, ending NMM’s Snow White-esque horror scene.
  
  But then listen to it again while watching the animations. There’s a distinct lack of polish in the meter’s execution. To extend the length, Pinkie had to shout and extend her first set of lines, and that becomes rather tacky. And for a song intending to be very cheery, the visuals are quite conservative. Of course, this was a brand-new medium DHX was using, and it was a pilot, but they’re plain and don’t get interesting until Pinkie laughs at the tree in between song. Two-minutes or not, the hook arrives way too late.
  
  b. Some of the animation itself is pretty lackluster. In one scene, Apple ponies were handing off various items to Twilight. They didn’t show proper physics in its inertia, making the scene rather stilted. Secondly, the churning in the river is very repetitive and doesn’t offer variety to make it inherently interesting.
  
  c. Applejack’s voice back then is a pain in the eardrums to listen to. For most of its running, her voice is deeper, more mature, wise, and rather aggressive. Here, it’s way too high-pitched, which makes her appear very immature and, thus, doesn’t fit her character. Well, at least not anymore.
• In especially the second part, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony are as subtle and being smashed by an anvil, and it’s this where Part 2’s quality plummets. By the time Act 1 is halfway done, the audience immediately knows not just who the Bearers are, but also the specific Elements each of them bore.
  
  Take the passage Twilight read while in the library (emphasis mine):
  
  

  Twilight Sparkle: Oh. There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters.

  As Twilight recited the elements, the animation scaled back, revealing the characters in order: Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, AJ, and Dash. The order and corresponding animation are no accidents. The story knew who they are and wanted you to know it. In the midst of rushing the script, the fundamentals of foreshadowing were thrown out the window, which is a shame because they did a great job building up Nightmare Moon's revival in Part 1. By blatantly revealing who bore the Elements of Harmony, the rest of the conflicts and resulting climax become pointless.
• Despite good vocabulary and a variety of characterization, the dialogue is often very forced. So little of the Mane Six's dialogue sounded organic and relied on specific jargon to separate them. When it didn’t, each of them hammered in their respective elements to the audience and relied on naivety from Twilight and the others to force the plot along. Nightmare Moon had a great backstory, but her lines were extremely clichéd and amounted to the manufactured “I’m evil” bullshit in thousands of media.
  
  However, the moment where the corn really became burnt beyond edibility was Twilight’s speech of friendship to Nightmare Moon as the Elements were finally revealed. None of the trials were that effective, and Twilight treated them as such. It was way too preachy and hammered in the main moral of the entire series.
  
  One of the few characters to actually have an organic voice was Spike. Whatever he said and thought felt natural, and his deadpan comedy really balanced out his kid side.
• Speaking of the trials…
  
  a. They don’t effectively prove the stakes and urgency of NMM’s terror. When you think about it, the EoH’s purpose is to prove they can bear them in case there’s a very big evil out there. But with so much on the line, how do they get it? Through very simple trials that don’t put them in any grave danger except the first.
  
  Speaking of the first trial…
  
  b. Applejack was unnecessarily stupid. Telling Twilight to “let go” and fall down the cliff is possibly the dumbest thing AJ’s done throughout the series because it makes no sense. Even if AJ apparently knew Dash and Fluttershy were waiting to catch her, it was an extremely risky idea. Celestia forbid Fluttershy or Dash lost grip; Twilight would’ve been dead, and Applejack would forever live in guilt. The odds were stacked against the cowmare, and she can’t rely on it all the time. It would’ve been much better if Applejack pulled Twilight back on the cliff and wait for Dash and Fluttershy to help them down. Then again, doing that would’ve caused the trial to fall apart.
  
  c. The Elements are really hammered in and, like I wrote earlier, had to rely on the characters acting naïve to fully realize it.
  
  i. Applejack told her the “honest truth.”
  
  ii. Fluttershy told Twilight (after pulling the thorn out), “Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness.”
  
  iii. Pinkie guffawed at the trees and ended the song with “laugh.” Hell, the song is titled The Laughter Song.
  
  iv. Rarity never mentioned the word “generosity,” but showed it very bluntly by slicing most of her tail off.
  
  v. After Rainbow Dash declined to join the Shadowbolts, the future Bearer of Loyalty exclaimed, “See? I'd never leave my friends hangin'.”
  
  vi. Finally, Twilight repeated the word “spark” to revive the Elements of Harmony. (The fact that the ReMane-ing Five left Twilight all alone was unbelievably dumb. Firstly, they admitted the Everfree Forest was treacherous, and Nightmare Moon stalked them throughout the journey. Secondly, it was designed to be a plot device so Twilight can battle on her own until her friends showed up.)
  
  If none of them were that oblivious, then they would’ve realized it the second Dash passed her “test” at the most.
• Like what I wrote before, Nightmare Moon’s backstory was fantastic, and her desire to be beloved was believable. But aside from that, she’s a very bland villain. Yes, she’s very active, constantly on the prowl, manipulative, and murderous; but it was poorly represented and realized from how her personality was identical to that of a classic fairytale.
  
  Instead of the typical archetype, why not change her character? Luna became Nightmare Moon as a result of unadulterated jealousy, so anger's clouding her mind. Instead of having her personality be predictably evil, how about making her evil, yet angry and think she’s doing the right thing. That in her jealousy and resentment over her older sister, she feels she’s doing such an evil deed for the greater good of Equestria. By having Equestria summoned into eternal night, she’s giving her moon and those she watches justice. Give her convincing delusions, and the only way for the Mane Six to defeat her isn’t by blasting the Elements of Harmony against her will, but the foundation that just because ponies sleep before the moon doesn’t mean they don’t love or respect her. Gradually build it up to make her become good again. You don’t demand respect. You earn it.
• PaleoSteno described Part 1 as “rapid fire” and Part 2 as even more so. Well, he couldn’t be any more correct. Despite Part 1 being somewhat fast, it didn’t feel fast, and it set the stage of the second half. Unfortunately, Part 2 really dropped the ball by only spending a small amount of time juggling between the tests. Just as one character faced a test, it was over. The only one where the character spent the most amount of time on her test was Twilight’s Element of Magic.
  
  Originally, Faust intended to have the Mane Six be rewarded for their Elements over a season through an adventure arc. That would’ve been a really good idea, because it retains the stakes, explores the characters, and proves their worth more organically. On the other hand, the arc would’ve robbed season one of the well-done slice-of-life episodes Friendship Is Magic is renowned for. So you win some, you lose some.
• If Nightmare Moon was to be a formidable foe, she wouldn’t just stand in one spot as Twilight recited her speech. She would’ve acted and tried to stop it. By standing there and doing nothing, she looked very, very weak. Stationary villains as they downed the Skittles have been a very common problem throughout the series (the only one making some sense being Discord due to his pride and ego), and it started here.
• The pilot only gives the audience clues of Celestia’s whereabouts. Through Mayor Mare’s Sleeping Beauty reference, NMM’s threats of never seeing Celestia again, and Celestia reappearing once the sun rose, you’re clued that she was locked in the sun like her sister when locked in the moon. However, these are only clues. Her role (or lack thereof) as far as her location was never given a ton of clarity, leaving the audience to rely on headcanon to fill in the plot holes.

Overall, though, there is an obvious, gigantic, intangible strength in this pilot, something the audience was able to conclude through its nuances.

It has a lot of heart.

The vocabulary, variety of characters, graphics, elegant storytelling simplicity, musical score, and humor proved that Faust, Renzetti, and the rest of the crew cared a ton for its audience. Albeit a severe lack of refinement, they obviously tried and succeeded to capture the hearts of many and made plenty consider trying. After over a decade of crappy TV from the franchise, the pilot was a breath of fresh air, resulting in the possibility of improving their craft and delivering great stories in the future. By its track record, they obviously succeeded, but it wouldn’t have happened without the success of the pilot.

---

One generation ago, My Little Pony was a laughingstock. A franchise with a great original concept became heavily operated under Hasbro’s microscope simply to pander to young girls’ guardians. But on October 10, 2010, under Faust’s leadership, Friendship Is Magic, Part 1 was released, followed by Part 2 on October 22. The pilot commenced the fourth generation of My Little Pony, leading to wonders over what the franchise will reveal to what is later the brony fandom.

Subjectively, this is my most nostalgic FIM episode because these episodes led me to the show and becoming a brony altogether. (Winter Wrap Up, on the other hand, is where I proclaimed it really took off.) But through an objective eye, FIM1/2 is not that good at all. Part 1 was decent, but Part 2 is easily the worst half because of its obvious storytelling shortcomings. Overall, it’s the weakest two-parter of the entire show. Nevertheless, the heart the pilot displayed allowed the show to stick around and eventually improve into the pop culture conglomerate today.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Dark Qiviut

[mlpfiwcat 30]

I liked the episode, but I have a question about something-why don't they tell you exactly what the elements harmony are? All they give us is the fact there are six and they shoot rainbows. But why was celestia only able to banish nightmare moon and the mane six brought back Luna? I want some answers please.

[Pastel 7,630]

I liked the episode, but I have a question about something-why don't they tell you exactly what the elements harmony are?

I guess it was intentional, they wanted to make more suspense about what they are and who created them. Edited June 6, 2014 by Blobulle

[mlpfiwcat 30]

I guess it was intentional, they wanted to make more suspense about what they are and who created them.

I guess that makes sense.

[Pastel 7,630]

But why was celestia only able to banish nightmare moon and the mane six brought back Luna? I want some answers please.

You mean why Celestia wasn't able to get rid of her sister once and for all, or why she wasn't able to do what the mane 6 did?

[mlpfiwcat 30]

You mean why Celestia wasn't able to get rid of her sister once and for all, or why she wasn't able to do what the mane 6 did?

yeah, that's what I meant. So, why?

[Pastel 7,630]

You quoted my post entirely which question is the correct one?

yeah, that's what I meant. So, why?

Keep in mind that's only my opinion.

 

I think that's because she was alone when she faced Nightmare Moon. She couldn't use the elements at their maximum potential, whereas the mane 6 are friends, and each of them is associated to one of the elements, hence they were able to use the elements' powers at their maximum. That's why they have been able to save Luna, and not Celestia.

[sandyyy 0]

hi,

REally i totally agree with that friendship is really a magic because friends make your life funfull, enjoyfull, happy and also they are available with you at all the good or bad time of your life so friends is very important part of life. Todays social networking site provide a new platform for making virtual friend by using that sites.

So make friends and made your life happy with them.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

[ url = http://www.contenthoop.com/may-2011-visa-bulletin-predictions/7149/ ] MAY 2011 VISA BULLETIN PREDICTIONS [/url]

 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

It was these episodes that indeed hooked me onto the FiM-train, and for me they still hold up pretty well. Granted the pilot does have some issues here and there, but there is enough there for me to say that I absolutely LOVED it!

 

One thing I will mention is that when I first saw Nightmare Moon, she had this uncanny resemblance to Maleficent in a way. That kinda helped in keeping me invested, lol.