S04:E01+02 - Princess Twilight Sparkle

[Stormy Shock 28]

I loved the first and second episode of season four, it was Marvelous!

[Troblems 5,617]

Did anyone else notice how many times the word "Duty" was said? I did. I giggled. Every time.

[WWAPD 126]

Well, I though it was pretty good. Not introducing yet another villain was a big step in the right direction. Seeing the origin of the elements was a good idea too, and getting rid of them was a pretty interesting plot development. It seems to me like mlp is becoming less and less of a slice of life show.

 

One complaint I have is the absence of any songs.

 

Another is that it was too long. There, I said it. Half an hour is plenty time to tell the same story, as demonstrated in Magical Mystery Cure. I genuinely think that having shorter season finales/premieres is the right way to go. Just think about it: what was the first flashback sequence's purpose other than to make a false cliffhanger for the next episode? Was there really any point in showing how Luna was defeated, seeing how it has no relevance to this episode? In general, I just think the premier had way too much filler to warrant two full episodes.

[Batbrony 16,051]

I think it's supposed to be representitive of her path in the series or something- coming to Ponyville, meeting her friends, and then eventually becoming a princess. That's how I interpreted it anyway.

 

I for one think it's just DHX's way of giving the finger to anyone still upset over Twilicorn.  Think about it: now, in every single episode's intro, she will literally transform from a unicorn into an alicorn.  I don't know about you, but I feel like some folks at DHX are trying to hammer in a point. 

 

Or ya know, it could also be representative of her path and stuff like you said. 

[null123456 759]

If you are directing that at me, I have not idea what DOTD is.

Oh, it was short fort 'Day Of The Doctor'. I have to stop being lazy and actually writing things out.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Calirolls

[DukeofCanterlot 158]

This was an awesome premiere!
I could repeat what everyone else had to say about the episode (Discord being Discord, Applejack not being a background pony, and Twilight probably not going to become a Mary Sue).

 

One question, where is Flash Sentry?
Oh poo.. I thought he was gonna be canon... lol j/k.

[Declen 118]

 

 

I giggled. Every time.

What was the joke if I may ask?

[Troblems 5,617]

What was the joke if I may ask?

There was no joke to it, they just said duty a lot, and I have a childish sense of humor.

[LunaEclipse 101]

Well, after waiting (surprisingly patiently) for the season 4 premiere, I have to say that I'm thoroughly satisfied.  These writers certainly know what they're doing and I think we're all in for a pretty awesome, 26-episode season 4.  I believe this premiere was so most promising yet!  

 

This premiere did not debut a new villain, and that was definitely the right move.  Instead of presenting another new, disappointing villain that falls short of expectations, season 4 decides to use its premiere to feed us more history behind Equestria, the princesses, and Discord while maintaining the usualy theme of friendship with a slight twist now that Twilight's a princess.  It wins my approval, because it appeals to what I (and most fans) like to see.  Princess Luna fans?  You get to see a cinematic of what actually happened 1000 years ago with the banishment of our beloved Luna, loaded with an action-scene and dialogue.  Discord fans?  He returns as the hilarious, mildly sadistic, yet oddly charming Discord that we all know and love.  In the end, he proved a good image in teaching Twilight a lesson and even gave himself a maid outfit.  The show even played mind-games with me; I wasn't sure if Discord was truly up to no good again or if he was telling the truth.  They introduced a new piece of Equestria (the tree) and relinquishing the elements was an interesting idea that I didn't see coming since they all had them since the first episode.  And after all that's said and done, Twilight and her friends display that their friendship means everything and the 6 ponies will always need each other and be together.  It's almost as if the writers have done some self-reflection and fixed up some mistakes and problems that they realized they may have made.

 

TL:DR - This premiere was great and it has me anxious to see more of season 4.  I feel the writers have really put some thought behind fixing up decisions that causes issues in the brony community. 

 

P.S. This post was written in a hurry and it may not be the most eloquent, detailed, or refined post in any way, so please forgive me.

Edited November 24, 2013 by LunaEclipse

[Zygen 6,066]

I will say i haven't watched MLP in a while, but watching this made me feel the nice warm magic again and smile. In other words i still enjoy the show, and liked the episode.

 

It still had the nice humorous gags and cute moments and stuff, even with this being the premier which is usually more serious, so overall i liked it.

 

I don't think it was the most amazing thing ever, but it was quite good, and has alot of really cool, cute, and funny moments in it. (For example, AJ with her hat down look freaking awesome, pinkie with her random letters made me smile so much, along with discord, and then watching Twilight struggling to fly was pretty cute in my eyes ;p.)

 

Along with the fact that people like Twilight and Discord both seem to have their personalities intact still, i'd say that this and many other concerns feel resolved for me, and i don't really feel worried about this season anymore. 

 

The premier felt mostly typical of other premiers, with being more dramatic and action focused. 

 

Overall i still like the show and this episode isn't an exception to me. Whether its actually a really good episode, idk, but it still brings me magic, and to me the fact i can lay back after a long day and watch some MLP with a smile on my face is all that matters. 

 

It also leaves me wanting more... especially that box...

 

It'll be interesting to see how things will be without the elements. 

 

Discord is still hilarious as always. Atleast to me ;p.

 

While a few tiny things felt rushed sometimes, overall none of it really bothered me. Everything flowed pretty well.

 

I will say the lack of any songs did make me a bit disappointed, i was hopeful when Discord was joking about Twilight breaking into song.. guess i'll be waiting a few episodes. Oh well.

 

Overall it was good, it leaves me wanting more and hopeful for the season.

 

I'd also like to add that the atmosphere and the way some things are in the premier lead me to believe this will be the last season. I honestly won't be surprised if it is, which is a bit saddening.. I guess MLP can't go on forever.

 

But I like it so far, so hopefully the season won't disappoint!

[Hakureimiko 96]

Discord made me laugh out loud!

[Zygen 6,066]

This was an awesome premiere!

I could repeat what everyone else had to say about the episode (Discord being Discord, Applejack not being a background pony, and Twilight probably not going to become a Mary Sue).

 

One question, where is Flash Sentry?

Oh poo.. I thought he was gonna be canon... lol j/k.

Yeah, Applejack was really awesome in this episode ;p. 

 

And Twilight is still the same booknerd i love <3. 

 

And if your being serious about the flash question, Its been stated that nothing in EqG's is going to be made cannon, so yeah.

[Rough Pathway 157]

Okay, now that I've calmed down and have some time on my hands, here is my review (obvious spoilers ahead):

 

This episode was really good. It showed us some history which we've been starved of, and I think they handled Twilight's new role being a princess very well. The strongest point of this episode would have to be the NMM flashback (I'm a bit biased here I'll admit) and the end when they had to give up the elements of harmony. Theres also a lot of flaws with the NMM flashback, but for right now the things they did right. I'm really happy they were so edgy with this. I was really not expecting that. That scream actually startled me and it sounded very real. I really like the way they handled this. As for them giving up the elements of harmony; I thought that was really mature of the mane six to do. I'm also glad that this opens up a whole season long story arc, and that they're changing up the formula. The elements of harmony was getting old, so I'm excited about this. Other good moments and things they did right in this episode include: Discord, the lack of a song, (see the part marked with a * below) improved animation, and the voice acting to an extent. No need to explain any of that.

 

Now for the cons... There are a lot of flaws, but somehow it still has managed to make it into my top 10 episodes. The biggest flaw in my opinion was the pacing and the way they handle some of the characters. The pacing was really awkward with some moments being too fast paced and some too slow paced. Its understandable given that they only had 44 minutes, and they were a bit rushed to make this. *I'm really glad that they didn't include a song because if they did, they wouldn't of had as much time to flesh out the plot. I'm happy they realized their mistake with MMC, and didn't make the same mistake over again. I still think they could've handled it a bit better though, especially with the scene where Twilight was told to go back to Ponyville. The mane six didn't think that through that much, either.

 

I'm not happy with how they handled some of the characters. My problem is that they didn't. Other than Discord, and Applejack to an extent, Twilight was the only one really doing anything in this. The others were mostly just standing by. I also don't like how Pinkie was acting throughout this. She was a bit too random, and kind of over the top.

 

Overall, I give this a 8/10. A few things were too rushed, there are flaws, but it is amazing for what it is. They did a great job in reassuring us, and I have faith in the show staff to bring us more great episodes like this.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Rough Pathway

[Radiance64 7,053]

Did anyone else notice how many times the word "Duty" was said? I did. I giggled. Every time.

Discord also said poo. I seriously did not expect that.

Anyhoof, I just watched the episodes again, and I think I may have exagerated a bit about the standing around, it really wasn't for that long...

I also noticed that this is probably the first season premiere that begins with all the mane 6 together. That's something I guess.

[BlinkZ 1,151]

Well after letting it sit for a while i have ot say ti was a pretty good prememier.  backstory was great and man discord really sold it the writters really know how to make him funny

[Steel Accord 6,660]

Just finished watching.

 

(SPOILERS!)

 

My God, this show never ceases to exceed expectations and be surprising!

 

When Twilight was flying in the opening, I was hit by a feeling resembling fatherly pride. (Which in hindsight, makes those clopfics I read a little creepy, but anyway!) Here was Twilight Sparkle, that little unicorn who ran across a bridge, ignoring invitations to a party. Now here she is, flying over that very same bridge.

 

The feeling of coming  full circle was lampshaded by Rarity at the entrance to the Everfree Forest even!

 

What really blows me away is just how much the writers actually show! How many comics and fanfics have depicted Twilight becoming an alicorn, Trixie returning with a ruined reputation and a thirst for vengeance, the actual events of Nightmare Moon's banishment, the emotional pain Celestia has been feeling for a century, Discord's defeat, and even how the Elements were originally found/created?

 

Some of these we assumed were "too intense or too intricate for a children's show" yet all of them came to pass! Sure, we may have been off on a few details and a few went all the way, with death, and heavier subjects being present. Yet that Godsend of a staff has never failed to bring these anticipated and interesting arcs to pass both in ways that were tasteful to a family audience and still retained a real feeling of excitement and naturalness.

 

The action sequences in the past and the Everfree Forest were a true treat! It was amazing to see both Celestia and Luna in their prime as active protectors of Equestria, then flash forward to the present when we see the Mane Six acting as a cohesive superhero team that wouldn't seem out of place between the Ninja Turtles or Teen Titans.

 

John De Lancie, always fun, was on full display here in probably his most "Q-like" portrayal of Discord yet. "Helping" but in sort of a roundabout fashion that can only be justified by the sheer scope of his cosmic might. Not to mention John himself is on an absolute troll-roll throughout his performance, singing winter f**king wrap up in the shower! I have a strong hunch Discord wasn't originally going to be IN this episode but as soon as De Lancie caught wind they were in pre-production, he just snapped his fingers, appeared in their storyboard rooms, and said, "I HAVE to be in this one!"

 

Lastly, sacrificing the Elements . . . okay . . . . THAT took balls! The writers just gave up their Ace in the Hole, their completely justified Deus Ex Machina! Not to mention, the actual scene and the reactions of the Six, made you feel more than a twinge of their pain. I mean, these are the items that were introduced in the pilot! They're iconic in the fandom! To have them given up as a means to save the world feels natural and right, but that their magic is forevermore inaccessible feels like a grave loss.

 

 

Overall . . . just . . . My God!

[silvadel 1,393]

I feel that eventually the bearers(if you want to call them that now) will be able to harness the power of friendship and produce the rainbow ribbon without the physical elements.  That said them losing the Mcguffin is a good thing at least for a while.

 

I liked the past scenes although the NMM part should have had some witnesses.  I could see the ponies not buying her story.

 

A bifurcated sky seems "wrong."

 

And the twiboom was... Well it takes away some of the uniqueness of Rainbow Dash.

 

Other than that it was a very good episode. 

[FirestormCAN 246]

A few things I noticed re-watching it on the HD version:
 

 

 

Look at how small those eyes are. Holy crap, I have never seen such angry eyes in this series. And she does this not once...

 

 

...but TWICE. Good lord, does she look pissed.

 

 

...and then she gives nightmare-inducing eyes. Something tells me the animators took it up more than one level in terms are dark imagery this season.

 

 

Hot DAMN the lighting in this opener was amazing. And this shot is a testament to that.

 

 

She suddenly went super saiyan in this house. Eeeeyikes.

 

 

Anyone else perplexed by the fact her hair is actually flowing naturally at this moment? I don't think her hair has ever acted like this before.

 

 

Now look at that, she's tearing up at the thought of banishing her sister. Just as expected, but damn. Those look like tears of pure pain.

 

 

Not like Nightmare Moon got off easy either. Ouch.

 

 

Since when is there a breeze back there...?

 

 

Now THAT'S hilarious.

 

 

[BrilliantVenture 334]

Ok everypony, take a seat...(or those who at least, will care to hear what will probably be a certainly long winded opinion on the episode...)
 

alright...
 
...lets begin.
 
So to start off with...I like how the episode picks up from MMC, (or the end of equestria girls if you really count it cannon)
 
with twilight fresh from having her coronation, and still kinda unsure about the princess thing...that's a good thing...
 
what is a confusing thing however, is the fact that twilight is now a bad flyer when she was doing just fine at the end of the season 3
 
finale.
 
So yeah, minor flaw, but not that big a deal...(plus there was some good hilarity to be ensued there...)
 
Then we have the intro...I like some of the additions, but through the whole thing all I could think of was this...
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDvE1sKBkSo
 
Still, not a bad improvement...(Plus derpy is still there! I'm pleased)
 
I liked the starter of the episode, really I did...I found the jokes to be spot on, the subtlties and attention to detail great...and let me
 
be clear in stating the animation was BEAUTIFUL in this episode...it really was!
 
Also discord was great hamming things up as usual (however, as somepony else mentioned, his lines did seem a bit forced at times)
 
and then...we have the flashback sequences...
 
They were good...REALLY GOOD...and I love the history behind everything...behind NMM, discord, etc.
 
But...here's one of my problems..
 
EVERY TIME, there was something pretty emotional happining wether it be nightmare moon being banished, or
 
twilight being sent back home, suddenly discord appears and makes a joke...I know he's the comic relief...but I feel
 
it should have been much less...like, I felt as though it didn't give me enough time to feel the emotions being conveyed
 
in what I'm watching...like, here's celestias sister getting banished in a sea of tears, sorrow, regret, and pain...
 
And then RIGHT AFTER that scene, it's the ponies and discord talking about how weird she looked during the flashback sequence,
 
and discord adding crying baby sound effects to footage of twilight in tears over celestias implied death.
 
It's like, I was close to tears, but then...they got sucked right back into my eye sockets...
 
And then there's the tree of harmony n' stuff...I liked that the elements had more of a backstory explained to them, because they've
 
always been pretty mysterious...I also like that there were some weight to the words of the other 5 that twilight is now in a sense
 
"seperate in rank of importance" and with this new position driven a little further away from the rest...
 
But...this is where I feel things began to become, "Disappointing..."
 
With all this build up, I feel the episode had a couple (IMO) much better alternate endings...
 
My first guess was that twilight would see that the princess life didn't suit her, and that since her "Spark" symbol took up the majority
 
of the tree, she would have to sacrifice only her element as well as her status in order to set things right. Especially due to
 
the fact that the tree didn't seem to be of much concern until after twilight became an alicorn...this ending made sense, and would
 
have led off the premier with a huge bang...(I have nothing against alicorn twilight...but at least this would have been a big ending
 
and something significant of being a "special worthy episode")
 
And here's the other idea I had...why not have brought chrysalis back, or a new villian? or tied it to sombra?...(And what was with
 
twilight using sombra's magic signature on the special drink?...I can't have been the only one to have found that confusing...)
 
If any of these villains had been involved it would have been great! All we really got in the end was discord pretty much trolling
 
everypony (which is to be expected...)
 
This was the perfect opportunity to bring in a new villain, but before you begin flaming me for this opinion...yes...I see why they did it
 
this way...they seem to be making this into a big over-season story arch...and I'm not opposed to that...I'm excited in fact...
 
If they had a villian and all this, it'd be like the last seasons where after the premiere it just goes back to life in ponyville...
 
I liked it that way, but I can see it as a new experiment if the writers want to make this more of a "prologue" rather than a big season 
 
anthem starter thing...I'll approve of this method a lot more if the payoff at the end of season 4 is mega huge and epic, (Which it very
 
well could be as far as the cliffhanger is concerned...) however, as someone who walked into this with the idea that we'd be getting
 
something mega epic and fresh, I felt a bit let down...BUT...and this is a big but...I can easily say I did come out of this special very
 
hopeful for the rest of the season, which is what a premiere is supposed to do first and formost...
 
I feel this was a good starter, but nothing mega crazy like the last ones...there's some great parts, but some, "meh" parts...
 
I also feel I should point out like others have, I was sad to see there was no new song in this premiere...one of the things I adore
 
about the series is Daniel Ingram's beautiful music work...and while the background score was lovely, I really wish there
 
was a new song...(Then again I suppose MMC made up for it by basically having the entire episode as a musical!)
 
Another minor complaint is the whole "rarity's horn going crazy" thing...if the plant could do that,
 
why on earth wouldn't it be able to fight back against twilight using the same method? It just sort of came and went...
 
And speaking of things that just "came and went" the big spiky black plant roots went from mega ominous, to just a joke/troll by
 
discord...which I feel was a huge let down, especially considering the trailers and the opening made them seem to be the big
 
scary villain in the episode...nope...just a troll...what a bummer.
 
But all that aside, I thought this was pretty fair, I liked it...just like I knew I would...but I didn't "LOVE" it and go Gaga over it...For me
 
That honour goes to Return of harmony (Even though the ending on that one was a little repetative)
 
As an episode, I give it an 8/10...as a special though? I give it maybe a 6-7 out of 10...
 
It was great, but didn't blow me away...I loved the backstory, but it felt more like deleted scenes from season 1...
 
One thing's for sure though, I'm sure we have great development and story ahead of us in season 4...and I look forward to seeing
 
all of you there together with me!
 
 
Brillz,
 
(Ps. Wow! 5000 Characters...I guess this did end up being long winded! Sorry for that...but applause and a gold star to those who managed to read it all!..........eggheads! )

 

[Heatwave 177]

After watching it again, I have to say that I am under the impression that Twilight still lives in ponyville, while it seems many fans are not happy about Twilight supposedly living in Canterlot. She was only there for the Summer Sun Celebration. I am relieved about that.

 

Also, the Twilight Sparkboom looks more awesome in HD. Just saying...

 

Changing my vote from Like to love

[Kulstor 254]

I wonder, since Discord appears in the intro in Fluttershy's window, if the animators may do him like Derpy in season 2, have him pop up in different places.  Make it a sort of game, spot where Discord is in this episode.

[Noodles 109]

wares discord. O there he is right next to Waldo

[Princess Lona 382]

You know, if they needed to save a legendary protector tree from the malicious forces of evil, they could have just sent Link to do it. Especially considering that all they had to do to save the tree was stick some rupees on it.

 

It's clear the writers have been reading all the brony forums and chat rooms out there. They gave use everything we've been griping about: More Equestria lore, more Discord (and even though he's still "reformed" he retains his mischievous ways), they put the Elements to rest, and Twilight is still the same pony she's always been, despite her new title. And bonus for Hasbro, you can now purchase the Tree of Harmony and the Key Block Thingy just in time for the holidays!

 

My only problem with the episode: considering all of the animal name puns (parasprite, timber wolves) that crocodile should have been called a ROCKodile.

[Grumpy Enchantress 586]

Pretty great episode, way better than I expected and stuff and Pinkie Pie was so awesome in it and really got a lot of hilarious gags. Plus, the story was interesting and I can't wait to see where the keys thing goes and what's in the box.

[Lightning Buckheart 29]

I know I'm not the first to ask.

 

I know I'm not the last.

 

But what could possibly be in the box with the keyholes? I thought of it oddly, because I'm a gamer, the show now feels like a game, and I'm in the ride to the end.

 

Who's with me? Who's curious?

 

Oh, best season premiere since Season 1, and 3.