S04:E01+02 - Princess Twilight Sparkle

[Oblivion 20,266]

I thought that both episodes were very good! I was also a bit surprised at how deep/emotional the flash backs actually went!

 

 

Hang on tight bronies, we are in for one hell of a ride with this one!!!

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

I'm going to try and keep this short a sweet, due to the late hour.

 

I absolutely adored the premiere. Both episodes were expertly woven together so as to act as bookends to one another. I've read a few comments complaining about the pacing -- but I'm of the mind that the pacing is the strongest feature of the premiere. When contrasted against its counterparts from Seasons 1, 2, and 3, you can tell how tight the writing and directing for the show is now. Very little shown on screen proved to be a waste of time; shots were brief but compelling. The premiere threw the audience into the action without taking the usual detours which arguably proved to slow down, say, "A Canterlot Wedding" or "The Crystal Empire." This was the first time I thought the resolution avoided rushing to the conclusion because so much energy had been invested in the rising action and climax. The writing team benefits from the liberty of setting up for a more extensive season-long story arc.

 

It must be stressed how dramatic "Princess Twilight Sparkle" proved to be. "Friendship is Magic" had dark undertones, if you'll excuse the expression, but much of the central conflict remained fairly mundane in comparison to Season 4's premiere. Each premiere and finale since then has upped the ante, finally culminating in a story that did not bother to obscure its true colors. The flashback to Celestia and Luna's confrontation was dark and graphic for a kids show. The entire prospect of Equestria being overrun by the Everfree Forest was not undersold. In the end, the fate of Equestria truly did hang in the balance -- and copious amounts of friendship alone were not sufficient in beating back the threat.

 

Discord's villainy, long since domesticated by his overwhelming popularity and tenuous friendship with Fluttershy, returned to the forefront. We're reminded why he was turned to stone. He is not a benevolent trickster but an entity whose machinations are borderline demonic. He's the Loki of MLP, the cosmic trickster who smiles sweetly while stabbing you in the back. I doubt Discord's role in this whole affair ends with him reminiscing over a seemingly failed plot. Much like his Asgardian counterpart, Discord appears able and willing to play a long, slow game to achieve his goals -- even if he has to accept momentary setbacks (i.e., being turned to stone).

 

I'm happy Twilight received the majority of the attention, for it served to bring full circle everything that began in Season 1. The Tree of Harmony, surrendering the Elements of Harmony, and the appearance of the locked box (lol al gore) closes the book on the old paradigm of zapping everything with magical artifacts. To sell this point, however, Twilight Sparkle needed to be front and center. Both the audience and the characters had to reset their faith in her after the whirlwind events of "Magical Mystery Cure." True to Tara Strong's word, Twilight is still the adorkable unicorn we know well and love so much. Not that I needed too much convincing, but now I am sold on Twilight's transformation into an alicorn. The new powers and title of princess need to be examined holistically -- something the fandom has by and large failed to do. When you step back and see Twilight Sparkle's character as a whole, one must realize her transformation represents a major change -- an ascendency -- for the whole show. That, I think, is a very good thing, if this premiere's presentation holds true for the rest of the season.

 

Animation wise, clearly the budget has increased and the techniques have improved. More attention is paid to effects, lighting, and the use of dynamic cuts to better capture the action. Compared to Seasons 1 and 2, the characters spent a lot less time walking across the screen side-to-side; instead they interacted with their environment from different angles. The nuances will require dissecting, though I honestly don't have the energy to spare on such an endeavor at the moment.

 

I'll want to watch "Princess Twilight Sparkle" again, just to make certain I'm not delirious from a massive lack of pony. I'm quite confident, however, that I am quite smitten because the episode was good. Very good. Whereas "The Crystal Empire" felt like a B or B+ effort, "Princess Twilight Sparkle" strikes me as an A- to an A. By no means is it perfect, but the positives far outweigh any residual negatives.

 

tl;dr mlp is back twilight sparkle demands your surrender, peasant

[SwigglySwiggly 358]

quite possibly the funniest episode ever released so far

[Forlong 1,726]

Twilight was awesome!  Celestia was awesome!  Discord was awesome!  For more details on how I feel about this episode, check out my Vlog:

 

Put simply: I liked it.  A LOT!

[Mars Caramel 319]

As someone who was deeply skeptical about Alicorn Twilight, I have to say I'm not so worried anymore now that I've seen this episode, which I thought was really impressive.

 

I can also see the end decided to go the Crystal Empire route with the 6 keys subplot. Will it possibly become a story element during season 4?

 

Hi My name's Applejack and I'll be saving your life this evening.

 

Untitled-1.jpg

 

 

Best part.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Mars Brownie

[catrap0 0]

Just in case anypony missed the episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIsPYm8KPs0&feature=youtu.be

[Raritas 6,820]

Well... That was amazing A heck of a lot better than Season 3 in my opinion. I loved the flashbacks, it was good to see some back story to Discord and Luna. Discord was hilarious, definitely my favourite villain.. Can you call him a villain now? Ok antagonist. I think they handled Twilight's Princess role well so far, and I'm excited to see what happens next. On a down side, I'm kinda worried with what's happening to Pinkie. See seems too silly, and all she does is act stupid. That's not how she was in Season 1 and 2. Hopefully it won't get in the way during what is hopefully going to be the best season yet!  

[joecal97 340]

WARNING, SPOILERS, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

 

Wow that's a hell of a way to make an entrance,

Can't help thinking that there is a clear storyline of what they have to do now, rather than learning about friendship like in seasons 1-3.

Whether that works out we'll have to see, but the first 2 episodes make it look very promising indeed!

 

Just one thing I'd like to say, I doubt that applejack, rainbow dash, flutter shy, rarity and pinkie pie would ever have sent (princess) twilight sparkle away in any circumstance, even if she is royalty, that was the impression i got from seasons 1-3 but now in season 4 they are just like "Yh we don't need you! you go stay safe somewhere!" And she kind of just accepts it.

Really? I though they were better friends then that, Even I wouldn't do that , if my mates said run, we got your back! I'd say we're in this together, not ok see ya later guys, cause I'm clearly more valuable then you!

 

Sorry if that point went on a bit but that's just how it seems to me

Edited November 24, 2013 by joecal97

[Captain Brony (MG11) 218]

(I have removed this review since it was moved here without my intention, if you want to read it go here: http://mlpforums.com/blog/1353/entry-8359-season-4-premier-princess-twilight-12-bullet-review/)

Edited November 25, 2013 by Captain Brony (MG11)

[Hive King 2,001]

THANK YOU, I've been calling that thing a rocodile/rockodile (I prefer the first myself, but either works) since I saw it on a commercial this week!  I mean, it makes perfect sense; we've got wolves made of wood called timberwolves, why wouldn't a crocodile made of stone be called a rocodile?!?! 

I've got a better one. So that the pun is fluid, make it crockodile

[The Crystal Maiden 221]

I really enjoyed the opening two-parter for season 4. I thought it was really good.

I found it a little complicated in the second half and it was sometimes hard to understand; I'm gonna have to watch it again at some point so I can make more sense of it. XD (and to enjoy it for a second time of course)

But overall I thought it was great. So dramatic though! And I was a little sad when they had to give up the elements. But it was a nice twist. And it looks like the whole season is now gonna revolve around those little keyholes that Twilight found. Sounds good!

 

Oh and I also loved Discord in it, he was just hilarious. XD

 

Not long after the premiere, I watched Doctor Who in the evening, WHICH WAS AMAZING. And the funy thing is that I found Doctor Who LESS confusing that MLP! XD Never expected that!

Wat r u doin Meghan McCarthy, stop blowing our minds! xD

[Planty 1,053]

Talking about the new intro and the plot tied together I jsut want to post this here:

 

Wait... We already know that the current elements are already really close and pretty much ARE their elements personified. and it would make sense that there would be a seed (or possibly two) in the box for a new Element-Tree, which would mean that there would be 6 NEW Elements of Harmony. And in the opening song, there were a ton more characters in the picture. 18 to be exact. 6 kids (Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Snips, Snails and Spike) and 6 new adults (Mr. and Mrs Cake, Zecora, Big Mac, Granny Smith and Mayor Mare). And it was stated a brand new thing would be happening in this season. So it may be possible that this season will focus on them, and the big finale will be an epic battle where all 18 elements will defeat a new evil. Granted, it might be that the adults won't be new elements, due to the fact Granny's in there, but still, it's a little strange that they have 6 kids in one shot. Especially two who no-one even cares about (Snips and Snails.)
 

 

Thoughts?

 

it would make sense.

 

Can I just add, this is a much better season intro then S3 (I didn't like s3 any where near as much as s1/s2).

 

Everything was so much better paced. Lets hope they continue into the rest of the season (and a whole season arc would be awesome!)

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

The animation team appears to be exploring new tricks with lighting and other effects. This however makes the ponies look too three-dimensional for the cartoon's original flat color style. Other particle effects also feel too complex for the animation style which comes across as somewhat awkward when watching.

Awkward? Oh I get it, you must have just misspelt amazing. No one could possibly have a problem with the show looking like this. 

Using depth of field is a good way to shift the viewers focus to where the director wants it to be without having to cut to another angle. I respect your opinion though.

[Lumen 106]

Just one thing I'd like to say, I doubt that applejack, rainbow dash, flutter shy, rarity and pinkie pie would ever have sent (princess) twilight sparkle away in any circumstance, even if she is royalty, that was the impression i got from seasons 1-3 but now in season 4 they are just like "Yh we don't need you! you go stay safe somewhere!" And she kind of just accepts it.

Really? I though they were better friends then that, Even I wouldn't do that , if my mates said run, we got your back! I'd say we're in this together, not ok see ya later guys, cause I'm clearly more valuable then you!

 

Exactly.  The mane 6 has always gone through these major crises together and now they're just gonna send Twilight away? That just seems very out of character for them.

Also, when they summoned Discord, they all just started mindlessly accusing him without any solid evidence. He's very powerful and they could have actually talked about the situation like civilized ponies and see if he could help in any way, but no. That's another point where it felt like the mane 6 were out of character. Not as much as the forest scene but still.

Otherwise the episodes were pretty fantastic.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Lumen

[Doc. Volt 2,561]

Awkward? Oh I get it, you must have just misspelt amazing. No one could possibly have a problem with the show looking like this. 

depth highlights.png

Using depth of field is a good way to shift the viewers focus to where the director wants it to be without having to cut to another angle. I respect your opinion though.

uhm not a big deal here.. i also noticed it... i guess it doesn't change much for me but if i take 2 frames, one old and one from this episode i would say i'd prefer the old... btw nice analysis

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

At about 28 seconds into the episode did anyone else notice how Rarity's voice sounded a little different? She usually pronounces her words fully and doesn't use short versions (at least that's what I've found) for example she would say:

 

does not instead of doesn't or

have not rather than haven't 

 

"You've already given up wearing your crown all the time. The least you can do is embrace ya new title"

 

In part of her sentence she sort of talks almost a little like Babs does. Saying "Ya" instead of "Your" but I'm pretty sure it was only this one part I noticed her speech was a little different. I love little thing like this, when characters talk a little differently then they usually would or pronounce another characters name a little differently. 

[Castle Bleck 19,361]

I know what we're all thinking:

 

Now that the Mane Six have given the Elements back to the Tree, what's to stop Discord from relapsing?

[roptiriolg 49]

There it is, the 1080p by Xyro. Afterall how would I not watch this FHD

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faKa8HAZupg

Edited November 24, 2013 by ImtR

[Antismurf9001 1,271]

I know what we're all thinking:

 

Now that the Mane Six have given the Elements back to the Tree, what's to stop Discord from relapsing?

 

If you think about it, this could have been Discord's plan from the very beginning.  Think about it: Discord knows that he's screwed so he plants the seeds.  When the seeds sprout, there can only be one of two outcomes: the vines succeed in killing the tree of harmony and capturing the princesses or the Elements of Harmony get sacrificed in order to save the tree.  In other words, it's a win-win situation for him.  He also knows that he can eventually break away from his prison as long as some form of discord happens near his prison.

 

When he first escapes, he knows that the seeds haven't grown because the Elements and the princesses are still around, but he tries to take advantage of the fact that the Elements now have new bearers.  This fails, but he still has the vines to wait for.  On his second release, he now knows that he can't face the new bearers so he goes along with them, knowing that the vines will eventually grow and he will have his checkmate.

 

It would be kind of sad, since if the above were to be true, it would render Keep Calm and Flutter On to be a completely meaningless episode, but it would also give the potential for a really dark season finale (especially if Discord takes advantage of the fact that he now knows that Twilight can use dark magic and does something to the effect of guiding her to become Queen Sombra).

[Discovery Dream 592]

Oh, wow, where to begin?

 

I adored these two episodes, oh, wow. I loved the character conflict as well as the past scenes with Luna and Celestia (the memory of Nightmare Moon being banished; augh, I teared up a bit.) Diiscord was a jerk and literally of no use at all until after the fact and it was glorious. The Summer Sun Celebration was really sweet as well, since it was kind of all in celebration of Luna's return.

 

But the best part? A most likely overarching story throughout Season 4. The Mane Six will likely be trying to find those six keys, and I looooove the suspense. Overall an excellent premier, I'm looking forward to the rest of Season 4!

Edited November 24, 2013 by Discovery Dream

[H.P.Lovecolt24 107]

There wasn't a single thing i disliked about this premiere! the intro fooled me for a moment, i was like "oh they didn't change it?" then bam! wings . i love that Luna is now standing next to Celestia at the throne but when she leans over i couldn't help but think Two Best Sisters Play n started laughing. I loved Discord hes still going to be a complete dick but he'll help them out, in the most roundabout ass way possible! n they seem to be doing a good job seting things up so the entire season wont be all about Twilight. Also the animation seemed to be, at least to me, the best we have seen thus far. better lighting effects and smoother movements. i'm still not a fan of the CG monsters but they don't ruin the experience.

 

for me this was well worth the wait!!!

[PonyHag1 591]

Really enjoyed the premiere. First, the title sequence was good, and I liked seeing Luna in the throne room scene and having Photo Finish take the cast picture was a nice touch.

 

Really liked the Nightmare Moon flashback, and her battle with Celestia and eventual banishment. We all knew what happened, it was nice to see it actually play out.

 

Discord was great, I like how he isn't afraid to push anypony's buttons, including Celestia.

 

As an Applejack fan, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed in AJ starting the idea that Twilight should go back, and it didn't make sense to do that. The Mane 6 have always needed her to save the day, I guess they figured her being a princess made a difference. But things worked out.

 

As for the box with the keys, I guess we'll find out in due time

Edited November 24, 2013 by PonyHag1

[Winona the Dog 1,984]

Digibrony and Tommy Oliver did a video and they list all the reasons why I loved this episode.

 

+

------

MLP taking its step to being a more plot oriented series.

Since Twilight has become a princess; the major focus of the friendship that she's suppose to learn is kind of gone meaning the show dynamic is changed.

Applejack and Rarity getting the more talkative roles.

Spike being a helpful deadpan version of Pinkie Pie complete with Sarcasm

Princess Celestia and Luna actually making a, gambit using the Tree of Harmony to confront Discord. This really says a lot about them

The animation in general.

 

-

------

 

The only really irking thing was the pacing right up to the point Twilight leaves her friends in the Evetfree. There wasn't really much time for the drastic feeling to really sink into the audience because it was overcome so quickly.

 

 

 

Also, I love Discord's neutral stance within the show. A drastic improvement over KCaFO.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Tyler Blu Gunderson

[Starlight Lunamoon 109]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faKa8HAZupg

On youtube there's a lot of reviews about the new episodes.

[Lywa'sPie 2]

I'm just glad this happened. (If you look at the intro Derpy is still in the train in Season 4.)